by Scott McClallen
Some Michigan lawmakers want to end life sentences without parole for those under the age of 19.
Michigan has more juveniles sentenced to life parole than any other state, said Rep. Amos O’Neal, D-Holt, said in the Criminal Justice Committee on Tuesday morning. Holt said that 26 states ban life-without-parole for juveniles. The recidivism rate for kids leaving the system is less than 1%, O’Neal said.
House Bills 4160–4164 seek to eliminate life sentences without parole for those under the age of 19.
The bipartisan bill package currently would require a minimum sentence of 10 years and a max of 60 years before access to a parole hearing. The bills say the decision would factor in age, maturity, family home, circumstances, role in the offense, peer pressure, and more.
“We must move from a more punitive focused correction system to one that is centered around restorative justice,” O’Neal said. “Just because the child committed a crime doesn’t guarantee they will make the same mistake and commit another crime.”
However, if this bill passed both chambers and was signed into law, people like Ethan Crumbley, who killed four students and wounded others at Oxford High School in November 2021, would have access to a parole hearing in just 10 years.
Rep. Graham Filler, R-Clinton County, said the current minimum 10-year proposal before a parole hearing is “unconscionable” for victims and communities that were subjected to crimes committed by minors.
Rep. Curtis VanderWall, R-Ludington, said it’s important to balance justice for the victims and perpetrators. He suggested amendments to hike the minimum sentence from 10 years to 25 years before a parole hearing, while another amendment would remove the parole option for kids who murder multiple people, such as a school shooter.
“The families of these victims must have justice,” Vanderwall said.
Rep. Tyrone Carter, D-Detroit, said that lawmakers need to find a balance of justice because some kids are just a product of their environment.
Ronnie Waters, a communication specialist from Safe and Just Michigan, was sentenced to life without parole at age 17 for first-degree murder. After he was released in 2020, he got involved with his community by registering voters and educating people about their voting rights.
“Everything I do out here is to prove that I’m redeemable,” Waters said. “I know that I have to be the example for the good people that I left behind…. Thank God I got a second chance…”.
Karen Jackson said her son Jeffrey Ballor and his friend Kristin Pangman were murdered in 2017. Jackson opposed the bills.
“These victims no longer have a voice or a say in your proposals and decision-making,” Jackson said.
“The trauma caused by losing a loved one in such a brutal manner leaves us with a host of issues, one of the most pronounced and the one that I wish to point out today is the lifelong impact on our mental health,” Jackson said.
The committee will continue to hear testimony on the bills.
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Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square. A graduate of Hillsdale College, his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org. Previously, he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi.
Photo “Juveniles in School” by Se315. CC BY-SA 4.0.
