To: The Government/ Congress/ MDOC Director
Youth Offender Parole Hearings needed for Michigan
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Petition Text
Create special Youth Offender Parole Hearings for prisoners who are serving long indeterminate (life with the possibility of parole) or determinate (set-length) terms for crimes they committed when they were under the age of 18.Youth Parole Hearing policy will give them an opportunity to make parole after doing 50% of their minimum sentence or see parole board at 15 years for a 30 year sentence or more. If they have more than one sentence, they will have a Youth Offender Parole Hearing at the time set by their Youth Parole Eligibility Date and if granted parole, they will immediately be eligible for release. They do not have to serve other consecutive sentences or enhancements related to their controlling offense.
Why is this important?
In 2019 an article was put out featuring senator, Emily Mooney, where she mentioned the effects it will have on juveniles' well-being -- mentally, emotionally & economically in the long run from being incarcerated at such a young age if we don't do something about this, it's causing another problem. There have been multiple studies conducted that support this cause: one the human brain isn't fully developed at the age of 17 and under. Youth are less responsible for their actions than are adults; the features of youth (for example, that youth are not as good as adults at understanding the risk and consequences of their actions, at resisting impulse and peer pressure, or at controlling their surroundings); and any rehabilitation and increased maturity over time. A second study has shown they are far more disadvantaged at readjusting emotionally, mentally and economically the longer they are incarcerated. A third study proves that inmates do grow out of crime over time. We need rehabilitation not punishment, the state has already acknowledged that longer sentences do not equate to better outcomes. Michigan has to catch up with the rest of the states' criminal justice reform.
