Michigan and 28 other states have some revamping to do of sentencing guidelines thanks to a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court has ruled mandatory life sentences without parole for juvenile offenders are unconstitutional, as they are cruel and unusual punishment. Deborah LaBelle of the ACLU of Michigan says it's a wise move by the Supreme Court.
Michigan has more than 350 people who were sentenced to life without prison for crimes commited as juveniles, which is the second highest in the country. The case heard by the Supreme Court involved defendants in Arkansas and Alabama, where two 14-year-olds were sentenced to life in prison with no parole for their roles in separate murder cases. Calls by WSJM to Berrien County Prosecutor Art Cotter seeking his opinion on the ruling have not been returned.
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Michigan has more than 350 people who were sentenced to life without prison for crimes commited as juveniles, which is the second highest in the country. The case heard by the Supreme Court involved defendants in Arkansas and Alabama, where two 14-year-olds were sentenced to life in prison with no parole for their roles in separate murder cases. Calls by WSJM to Berrien County Prosecutor Art Cotter seeking his opinion on the ruling have not been returned.
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