The United States currently has 2,500 people under the age of 18 serving life sentences in prison without parole. We are the only country in the world to mandate life sentences for children. 59% of juveniles sentenced to life in prison are first time offenders; 26% were aiding or abetting felony murder but did not commit the murder themselves.
We are sentencing people to spend the rest of their lives behind bars for murders they committed when they were 14 years old. 14. how many of us have done things we aren’t proud of when we were that age? one of the great things about humans is their ability to learn and adapt over time. When I was 14, I was a girl. I’m a man now. My point is not to make light of crime or murder, but simply point out how much people can change and what a tragedy it is to mandate that that opportunity be denied to so many young people.
What does it say about our country that we are willing to sentence young people to die in prison? Do we really care so little about our own freedoms that we willing to uniformly rob 50 plus years of life from a young person before they’re old enough to drive? Do we really lack the guts to take responsibility for the generations of young people we are helping to create?
Luckily, the State of Michigan has a chance to end its juvenile life sentences with out parole. Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 6th, a public hearing will take place before the House Judiciary Committee on second chance bills to end Michigan’s juvenile life without parole sentences. To speak out, send a quick email or make a phone call to House and Senate members or contact Michigan’s Governor Granholm. Contact information for state representatives can be found at house.michigan.gov. For state senators, go to senate.michigan.gov. Granholm can be contacted at http://www.michigan.gov/gov, or by calling 517-373-3400, or writing her at P.O. Box 30013, Lansing, MI 48909.
Want to help free a man who has been imprisoned in Michigan since he was 15 for a murder he did not commit? Click here to find out more about Efren Paredes, Jr and support his bid for freedom.
If we the people are expected to follow the law, we have to be able to trust the system governing us and the people holding us accountable. Sentencing people to die in jail for commiting crimes during a time in their lives when their decision making and moral reasoning capabilities are still developing undermines our ability to trust our government and law enforcement agencies.
The fact that this law targets juveniles is knowingly raising a generation of people who have a legitimate reason to distrust the government and police force, the very institutions that must be trusted if our society is to flourish. This is what Dwight Furrow argues in Reviving the Left: The Need to Restore Liberal Values in America. We need to teach our youth that we care about them and that we see in them the potential to grow and change and to make positive contributions. It is this approach that will enhance social trust and encourage our youth to care about each other and society as a whole.
Lets take the first step and demand an end to Juvenile Life Sentences without Parole!
