Michigan's Supreme Court Extends Restriction on Life Sentence to 18 Year Old Offender

 Back in 2012 the United States Supreme Court, in Miller v. Alabama, decided that juvenile offenders could not face mandatory life in prison sentences. They did not prohibit a life sentence entirely, but their decision made it more difficult for states to sentence juvenile offenders to life in prison. Even so, some of Michigan's juvenile lifers have STILL not been resentenced, something I find appalling. Apparently a US Supreme Court decision does not hold the same weight I thought it did. 

Still, since the Miller decision, some youthful offenders (18-25 years old) have been using the Miller argument to argue that they, too, should not face mandatory life sentences. The science used in Miller states that juvenile brains are not fully matured until around age 25; therefore, a juvenile's level of culpability is reduced. Juveniles do not fully understand the ramifications for their actions because their brains, especially their prefrontal cortex where decision making occurs, is not fully developed. 

This past week, the Michigan Supreme Court extended the Miller decision to include 18 year old offenders. Technically, the case, People v. Parks, included just the 18 year old offender in that case. However, other cases are currently in the courts that are seeking to retroactively extend this decision, and Miller's, to offenders up through 25 years old. 

Regardless of how far the court will extend Miller, I believe Parks is a move in the right direction. Even youthful offenders should be held accountable for their behaviors, especially those that devastate others' lives. However, the courts have always claimed to take "mitigating circumstances" into account in sentencing, except when their hands are tied due to mandatory sentences. Miller, and Parks and its progeny, only make it possible for the courts to consider the youthful, immature brains of the offender when making sentencing decisions. 

This decision, and others that will likely follow, could not come at a more critical juncture in Michigan's incarceration state. Michigan, like many other jurisdictions, continues to suffer extreme staff shortages. Yet, Michigan continues to desperately hold onto failed policies, practices, and statutes. When lawmakers and the courts begin to actually listen to the science, like Miller and Parks have, it'll make room for rehabilitated offenders to leave prison. 

Now, if only Michigan's lawmakers would stop playing political games over good time legislation! Scientific studies support that change too.