#Juvenile Lifers

The highest Court of the land ruled that it is unconstitutional to sentences a juvenile to 'Life Without Parole' and ordered that courts across the U.S. to reduce 'Life' sentences for young offenders, except in rare cases where it is proven that rehabilitation had not taken place. In the vetting of which young offenders were too dangerous to be released, many of Michigan's prosecutor painted majority of the 363 men and women as unredeemable. In Saginaw County the prosecutor recommended life sentences for 21 of the 21 sentences In Kalamazoo, the recommendation was 9 of 9. In Muskegon it was 7 of 7. In the following counties they released their grip just a bit, in Oakland it was 44 of 49 and in Genesee it was 23 of 27. Wayne County eased its hold just a little more than other counties and recommended 61 of 153 young offenders remain in prison for life. Scientific research shows that young offenders can and do change, however, many prosecutors focus on the crime committed by troubled youths without examining the rehabilitated adult standing before them today. Some young offenders were young as 14 years old, the legal process that many youthful offenders went through was equivalent to an 'Legal Lynching' that many regarded as the system making a example out of another violent kid. In April 2016, the House Legislature approved a package of "Raise the Age" bills be an overwhelming majority. The bills provide more protection to incarcerated young offenders and increase the age of criminal responsibility to 18. However, the Supreme Court ruling and other legislation has left similar situated youthful offenders unprotected under equal protection of the law. The same research for young offenders 17 and under is also applicable to those 18 and 19 year old. It is now know that the part of the brain that controls judgment dose not finish developing until the 20's. Recognizing the lower culpability and competency of children convicted of homicides does not require eliminating punishment for these crimes. It just means not giving young offenders the harshest punishment that is basically a 'Walking Death Sentence'. The assumption that life imprisonment is an rational alternative to punish kids is irrational. There are reasons why age requirements are set for certain activates such as: 16 year old to drive, 18 to buy cigarettes and to join the military, and 21 to buy and drink alcohol, these ages are all set for the maturity level of said activates. For prosecutors who oppose the Supreme Court ruling, in not sentencing young offenders to life, on the other hand find it easy to prosecute any adult that would provide those same young offenders with alcohol, "Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor". If that same adult who provide alcohol to a teenager would take that teen on a crime the teen would be charged as an adult. It makes you scratch your head and wonder where is the logic in their thinking. It is one thing to be tough on crime, however, we should use common sense when it comes to how we deal with our children in the justice system. Because, dealing with our children as adults has not made us better.

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