BILLS SEEKING TO END DEATH IN PRISON SENTENCES FOR MICH. MINORS TO RECEIVE HEARINGS

In the coming weeks legislative committee hearings are tentatively scheduled to be held to consider House Bills 4160-4164 and Senate Bills 119-123. The bills, which were introduced earlier this month, seek to abolish life without parole (LWOP) sentences for justice-involved Michigan minors.

To view a press release from one of the Senate bills' lead sponsors Sen. Jeff Irwin you can visit http://bit.ly/IRWIN-JLWOP2023

Michigan shamefully ranks first in the nation as the state with the largest number of people sentenced to die in prison when they were children. The majority of the people who have disproportionately received the sentence -- more than 70% -- have been children of color.

The proposed new bills recognize the concept of redemption and allow justice-impacted children to receive term-of-year sentences that provide them meaningful, realistic, and achievable release consideration later in their adult lives based on demonstrated change and rehabilitation.

Children would still be held fully accountable for their actions, however, they would not be condemned to die in prison for a tragic mistake they made when they were still mentally and emotionally underdeveloped.

You are invited to call on people in your network to sign the petition calling for an end to LWOP sentences for minors. Each time a member of the public signs the petition the platform sends their respective Michigan State Representative and Senator an email expressing support for passage of the proposed legislation. The petition can be accessed at http://bit.ly/END-MI-JLWOP

People can also download and share a 8.5" x 11" poster in their network to help garner support for passage of the bills. You can display the poster on your social media pages, at libraries, on college campuses, in faith-based spaces, at workplaces, in homes, at social justice events, and any other places people gather. The poster is available for download free in JPEG and PDF formats at http://bit.ly/END-MI-JLWOP-POSTER

Please help replace the cruel throw away policy of the past with a forward-thinking policy that recognizes human dignity and the concept of redemption by lending your voice to this important campaign. Share the petition link widely in your social media network and invite others to do the same.

Petition link: http://bit.ly/END-MI-JLWOP

Efrén Paredes, Jr. (he/him/el)
Founder
Support Michigan Prison Reform
http://fb.com/groups/MichPR
MiPrisonReform@gmail.com

Michigan Poor People's Campaign, Co-Chair
Presente.org, Co-Founder
Michigan Collaborative to End Mass
Incarceration (MI-CEMI), Member