Give juvenile lifers a chance at parole
January 23, 2008
Michigan's notorious juvenile lifer law has drawn fire from human rights groups worldwide -- and rightly so. The law has forced judges to give kids as young as 14 -- an age when they cannot legally drive or buy cigarettes -- the maximum adult penalty of life-no parole in first-degree murder cases.
More than 300 Michigan juveniles are serving such sentences, some for aiding and abetting the crime. This law needs revision.
A bill, introduced by state Rep. Paul Condino, D-Southfield, would not, in itself, release any juvenile lifer from prison, but it would at least give them a chance at parole. Some have already served decades. Condino's bill would also prohibit giving juveniles the maximum adult penalty.The House Judiciary Committee, which Condino chairs, will consider the bill today.
The law as it stands contradicts science, common sense, public opinion and longstanding legal tradition, which weighs maturity and competence in assessing legal culpability.
Brain imaging research proves the obvious: Teenagers are more impulsive and unstable than adults, even without the abuse and neglect that many young offenders have experienced.
Juveniles don't have the same legal rights and responsibilities as adults because they lack the maturity and judgment to handle them. Nor should they generally pay the same consequences for crimes. That's partly why a conservative U.S. Supreme Court threw out the death penalty for juveniles. A Wayne State University survey in 2006 suggested that only 5% of state residents support the current Michigan law.
Michigan's juvenile lifer law is out of step with standards of human rights and decency. Legislators should change this unforgiving system.
