MDOC Librarian Cites "Custody and Security Concerns" to Deny Library Access

by Efren Paredes, Jr.

The afternoon of 5/15/18 I was conducting legal research in the law library at the Oaks Correctional Facility (ECF). A short time after my arrival Librarian Leah Berean called me to a law clerk desk as she stood behind it. When I approached the desk she proceeded to tell me she was denying the request for additional legal research time I submitted the previous day. She remarked in a rude and condescending manner, "You were already given an additional two-hour session each week. It's my discretion and you're not getting any more time!"

When I asked if she could provide her decision to me in writing so I could file a grievance in response to her denial she became irate and snarled, "No, you can write it down if you want to!" She then walked away from the desk and returned to her office, offering me no explanation for her decision. Approximately 25 minutes later Berean returned to the law clerk desk bringing along with her my request for additional time which now included a handwritten response she signed. Her response read in relevant part, "Due to custody and security concerns this is the only amount of additional time the library can give you."

OP ECF 05.03.115 "Use of Law Library by General Population Prisoners," authorizes librarians to grant additional time to prisoners to conduct legal research who are within 60 days of a verified court deadline. I provided a court order to the librarian verifying that I have a pending court hearing scheduled within that timeframe.

The policy also states, "The Department of Corrections recognizes the constitutional right to access to the courts. Therefore, the Oaks Correctional Facility shall not prohibit, restrict or deny prisoners in the general population access to the main law library wherein prisoners can use an Electronic Law Library (ELL) and other legal research documents for legal research purposes related to challenging a prisoner's conviction or conditions of confinement."

In my request for additional research time I stated that a great deal of my legal research involves reading dozens of peer-reviewed law journal articles regarding adolescent development, fMRI brain imaging studies, and other mitigating factors related to my upcoming resentencing hearing. There are hundreds of these articles I need to review in a short span of time which is an impossible undertaking given the time I am currently authorized to conduct legal research in the law library. I pointed out that I have paid to have several of the peer-reviewed journal articles photocopied so I can read them in my cell but cannot afford to have them all reproduced.

This was the reason I was requesting additional legal research time. Though I was authorized to receive two additional hours a week it will be insufficient to conduct all the necessary research before my next scheduled court hearing. The articles I need to research frequently exceed 30 pages in length (sometimes up to 70 pages) and I am often unable to read an entire article during a single two-hour law library session and take the necessary handwritten notes which itself is a time-consuming task. I even offered to provide her evidence of the many pages of notes I have already taken from the articles I read each week.

I am currently being limited to six hours of legal research per week to prepare for arguably the most important court hearing of my life. My request for additional legal research time was for two additional hours during regularly scheduled hours on the weekend which would not have prevented other prisoners from using any of the available computers. The law library has 15 computers available for prisoners to conduct legal research with which provide access to LexisNexis, a legal research portal. Less than a third of the computers are used at any given time when Level II prisoners are permitted to use them.

The notion that allowing a prisoner to use one of the idle computers for legal research triggers a "custody and security concern" is delusional and absurd. More than double the number of Level IV custody prisoners use the law library computers than the number of Level II lower custody prisoners for legal research each day during their scheduled time and it is not deemed a "custody and security concern" by custody staff or the Warden. Since Berean's reasoning for her denial is obviously false and baseless it begs the question: what was her true motive?

Later that day after speaking to Berean I showed two custody staff members her response to my request for additional legal research time. When I asked the staff members if they felt my request was a "custody and security concern" they shook their heads and laughed. One replied, "No. What does she know about custody and security, she just started working here. Plus, people hardly even use the law library and there are always computers open to use." The other responded, "She sounds ridiculous. When a prisoner is doing legal research and trying to go home at least he's doing something constructive and isn't on the yard bothering anyone or getting into trouble. You should write a grievance."

Berean's distorted reasoning for denying my request to be granted additional legal research time is arbitrary and a clear abuse of authority. It is divorced from reality, illogical, and provides a snapshot into what she thinks about prisoners using the law library to conduct legal research. It also demonstrates she may be ill-equipped with the temperament, social skills, or decision-making capacity to properly fulfill her job duties. Even other staff members agreed that her decision to deny me additional research time was irrational.

Her actions stain the image of the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) and interfere with prisoners' rehabilitation. When MDOC staff members subvert policy and devalue prisoners' lives they send a chilling message that their future is devoid of meaning. There is little wonder why prisoners often return to society frustrated, demoralized, and battling anxiety having been forced to endure the exhausting experience of repeated instances of staff engaging in microaggressions and abusing their power.

Since his recent arrival at ECF Warden Lester Parish has laudably begun transforming the culture of the prison from its shameful past of mismanagement and hostility toward the prisoners in its care to a culture that promotes the MDOC's vision and values policy. Staff members like Berean threaten to destabilize this progress. Her actions are evidence of a belief that prisons should be monuments to punishment and exclusion which contravene the Warden's proactive efforts.

This episode is only one among the many examples of unfortunate challenges prisoners are forced to deal with as they navigate the minefield of staff abusing their power in prison daily life. Fabricating unreasonable excuses to obstruct a prisoner's access to the courts rises to the level of a civil rights violation. Sadly it is not the first time a prisoner has been compelled to challenge similar injustices in federal courts. There is a long history of prisoners litigating against MDOC staff members for their refusal to recognize fundamental constitutional rights.

In a civil suit recently filed by a prisoner challenging a violation of his constitutional rights by an MDOC employee a federal judge ruled that MDOC staff members are not impervious to civil litigation because they simply claim immunity. The court added that staff members are not able to enrobe themselves in an absolute shield against legal action brought against them for violating constitutionally protected conduct.

Unfortunately it is taxpayers who keep bearing the burden of paying the costs associated with litigation resulting from the obstinate behavior of prison staff members who are allowed to engage in unconstitutional behavior. The moment taxpayers refuse to continue paying for their misdeeds it will change their behavior. When state employees begin paying their own legal fees to defend themselves for offending protected constitutional rights they will become less impetuous to entertain their darker impulses. It is a prospect taxpayers should consider exploring.

(Efren Paredes, Jr. is a Michigan prisoner, social justice activist, and blogger who is a frequent guest on the "Elena Herrada Show" on Detroit Superstation AM 910. You can learn more about Efren at www.4Efren.blogspot.com and www.fb.com/Free.Efren.)

Wyo. Court Looks to Mich. for Guidance on Juvenile Lifers

by Necalli Ollin

The Wyoming Supreme Court recently handed down an important ruling in the case of Davis v. Wyoming regarding prisoners who received life without parole (LWOP) sentences when they were juveniles ("juvenile lifers"). In its ruling the court detailed how thorough mitigation hearings should become moving forward. They also strongly urged sentencing courts not to repeat the mistakes of the past by arbitrarily meting out LWOP sentences against youthful offenders.

The court referenced the 2016 Michigan Court of Appeals ruling in People v. Hyatt, 316 Mich. App. 368, seven times to support the reasoning for their decision. This is significant because dozens of Michigan juvenile lifers have been awaiting a decision by the Michigan Supreme Court so they can be resentenced. The court will rule whether a judge or jury decides the sentencing fate of juvenile lifers. To date only about 115 of Michigan's 363 juvenile lifers have been resentenced to term-of-year sentences ranging from 25- to 40-year minimums. The other remaining 247 cases await resentencing.

In a 2012 landmark ruling the U.S. Supreme Court remarked in the case of Miller v. Alabama, 132 S. Ct. 2455 (2012), that mandatory LWOP sentences for juvenile offenders are unconstitutional. The high court ordered all the affected 2,500 cases across the nation to be resentenced and made it abundantly clear that instances of juveniles receiving LWOP must become "rare" and "uncommon," and only reserved for prisoners who are incapable of change the remainder of their lives. It is an enterprise the Wyoming Supreme Court recently stated "is difficult, if not impossible" to determine.

According to the U.S. Supreme Court, "Deciding that a juvenile offender will forever be a danger to society would require making a judgment that [he] is incorrigible -- but incorrigibility is inconsistent with youth and for the same reason, rehabilitation could not justify that sentence. Life without parole foreswears the rehabilitative ideal. It reflects an irrevocable judgment about [an offender's] value and place in society, at odds with a child's capacity for change." (Miller, 132 S. Ct. at 2465)

Several Michigan prosecutors have rejected the stern rebuke by the high court replacing the court's ruling with their own narrow, myopic, and misguided views. They have also politicized and stalled resentencing hearings for the remaining 240 juvenile cases awaiting hearings since 2012 by pursuing unwarranted LWOP sentences against them. This makes the Michigan Supreme Court's forthcoming ruling about juvenile lifers all the more important.

One instance of a juvenile lifer awaiting a resentencing hearing who is not deserving of a LWOP sentence is Efren Paredes, Jr., a 45-year-old Latino who has been incarcerated since age 15. He was convicted for the 1989 murder and robbery of a grocery store manager in St. Joseph, Michigan, and sentenced to LWOP. He had no previous criminal record and was a high school honor student at the time of his arrest. Three of his co-defendants received considerable less time than he did. Two were released 13 years ago and one received a six-month sentence. All three co-defendants were older than Paredes at the time.                                                                                                

A review of Paredes' life during his incarceration reveals a catalog of impressive accomplishments and dozens of examples of his capacity for change. He helped lead a successful campaign to create an indigenous charter middle school in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), has become a Literary Braille Transcriber certified by the U.S. Library of Congress, and a mentor to other prisoners and students outside of prison. He has also received letters of commendation from career Michigan Department of Corrections professionals about his positive attitude and leadership. In 2016 LATINA magazine named him one of four Latina/o prisoners in the nation deserving of clemency.

Though Paredes presents compelling evidence of a juvenile offender deserving a term-of-year sentence and the opportunity to become a productive member of society once again, the Berrien County Prosecutor's Office has pursued a LWOP sentence against him. His case is only one among the scores of egregious examples of injustice occurring in juvenile lifer cases across the state. Additional information about the Paredes case is available at www.fb.com/Free.Efren. An online petition expressing support for his release is also available at www.TinyURL.com/Efren1016.

There is little doubt that members of the court have seen repeated instances of clear and convincing evidence of how far Michigan prosecutors have strayed from U.S. Supreme Court rulings about the treatment of juvenile lifers over the past several years. Prosecutors have demonstrated their refusal to follow the rule of law even when it is unequivocal and absent ambiguity. The court now has a historic opportunity to end their abuse of authority and flagrant violations of the U.S. Constitution by abolishing LWOP for Michigan juvenile lifers altogether.

The trend of the nation continues to move in the direction of abandoning the pernicious practice of condemning children to die in prison. Currently less than half the states in the nation are imposing LWOP sentences on juveniles, and states are increasingly legislating an end to these deplorable sentences. Their actions are a symbol of the evolving standards of decency of a civilized society. It is a trend that is making its way to the doorstep of the U.S. Supreme Court and will eventually result in abolishment of the sentence altogether.

Allowing prosecutors to continue hijacking the resentencing process could result in potentially repeating the resentencing of hundreds of juvenile lifers at least two more times between now and the time the U.S. Supreme Court issues a total ban on juvenile LWOP sentences. It will also result in each case being appealed and creating unnecessary work for our appellate courts.

Since the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling ending mandatory LWOP sentences for juvenile offenders the Michigan Court of Appeals has reversed every case in which a juvenile lifer has been resentenced to a LWOP sentence. This is the same outcome that will potentially unfold in hundreds more cases, creating a costly burden to taxpayers and wasting valuable judicial time and resources, if allowed to remain unchecked.

Rendering any ruling other than a total ban on LWOP sentences for juvenile offenders will be impotent to reign in the rogue actions of obstinate prosecutors. They have already demonstrated a blatant disregard to adhere to rulings of the highest court in the nation and a willingness to undermine them with impunity. It is a clear message to the Michigan Supreme Court that anything short of abolishing juvenile LWOP sentences will result in prosecutors impugning the integrity of the court and demonstrating contempt for their ruling as well.

The Michigan Supreme Court must boldly exercise its stewardship if it intends to prevent prosecutors from feeling they are above the law by continually using juvenile lifer resentencing hearings as a playground for political gamesmanship.

                                                                                                 * * * *

The following are excerpts from the recent Wyoming Supreme Court ruling in Davis v. Wyoming, 2018 WY 40 (Wyo. 2018):

"We recognize that the task of determining whether a juvenile is permanently incorrigible is difficult, if not impossible. The Roper Court remarked, '[i]t is difficult even for expert psychologists to differentiate between the juvenile offender whose crime reflects unfortunate yet transient immaturity, and the rare juvenile offender whose crime reflects irreparable corruption.' (Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. at 573, 125 S. Ct. at 1197 (2005) (citing Laurence Steinberg & Elizabeth Scott, "Less Guilty by Reason of Adolescence," 58 Am. Psychologist 1009, 1014-16 (2003)). 'If this determination is difficult for even trained psychologists, we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge our concerns about sentencing courts -- or reviewing courts for that matter -- accurately assessing, or in essence forecasting, whether an individual who committed a crime while still a minor is and will remain irreparably corrupt for the rest of his or her life and on the basis of that assessment accurately meting out a proportionate sentence.' (People v. Hyatt, 891 N.W.2d 549, 573-74 (Mich. App. 2016)), appeal denied, (People v. Williams, 888 N.W.2d 64 (Mich. 2016))." (Paragraph 35)

"The Supreme Court made clear that a sentencing court must determine that a juvenile is irreparably corrupt or permanently incorrigible prior to imposing a sentence of life without parole: 'Even if a court considers a child's age before sentencing him or her to a lifetime in prison, that sentence still violates the Eighth Amendment for a child whose crime reflects 'unfortunate yet transient immaturity.' (Montgomery v. Louisiana, 136 S. Ct. at 734 (2016) (quoting Miller v. Alabama, 567 U.S. at 479-80, 132 S. Ct. at 2469 (2012)) (quoting Roper, 543 U.S. at 573, 125 S. Ct. at 1197))." (Paragraph 38)

"A sentencing court must begin its analysis with the premise that in all but the rarest of circumstances, a life-without-parole (or the functional equivalent thereof) sentence will likely be disproportionate for the juvenile before it. (See Hyatt, 891 N.W.2d at 574) ('A sentencing court must operate under the understanding that life without parole is, more often than not, not just inappropriate, but a violation of the juvenile's constitutional rights.') ... '[T]he vast majority of adolescents change as they age." (Commonwealth v. Batts, 163 A.3d at 452 (Pa. 2017))." (Paragraph 44)

'[M]inimal risk is associated with an erroneous decision in favor of the juvenile: sentencing the juvenile to a term of years with the possibility of parole when that juvenile is one of the rare individuals incapable of rehabilitation would simply mean that, while eligible for parole, the unrehabilitated juvenile would likely never obtain release on parole and would spend the rest of his life in prison." (Paragraph 49)

"'To protect youthful offenders from erroneous decisions that foreclose their ability to ever be released from prison, the Supreme Court therefore held that a sentence of life without parole is disproportionate and illegal for a juvenile offender unless that defendant 'exhibits such irretrievable depravity that rehabilitation is impossible.' (Montgomery, 136 S. Ct. at 733 (citing Miller, 567 U.S. at 479-80, 132 S. Ct. 2455))[.]' Batts, 163 A.3d at 455 (emphasis in original)." (Paragraph 50)

"[S]ee also (State v. Seats, 865 N.W.2d at 557 (Iowa 2015)) ('We must be cognizant of the fact that a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for a juvenile is the equivalent of the death penalty for juveniles.')" (Paragraph 68)

"Miller contains no suggestion that a seventeen-year-old is more deserving of adult punishment than a sixteen-year-old. Rather, Miller recognized that 'youth is more than a chronological fact' and is 'itself a relevant mitigating factor of great weight.' (Miller, 567 U.S. at 476, 132 S. Ct. at 2467 (citing Eddings v. Oklahoma, 455 U.S. 104, 115, 116, 102 S. Ct. 869, 877, 878, 71 L.Ed.2d 1 (1982))." (Paragraph 76)

"The nature of the crime alone will generally be insufficient to support a conclusion that a juvenile is irreparably depraved. ... '[T]he fact that a vile offense occurred is not enough, by itself, to warrant imposition of a life-without-parole sentence. The court must undertake a searching inquiry into the particular juvenile, as well as the particular offense, and make the admittedly difficult decision of determining whether this is the truly rare juvenile for whom life without parole is constitutionally proportionate as compared to the more common and constitutionally protected juvenile whose conduct was due to transient immaturity for the reasons addressed by our United States Supreme Court.' (Hyatt, 891 N.W.2d at 575); see also (Adams v. Alabama, 136 S. Ct. 1796, 1800, 195 L.Ed.2d 251 (2016) (Sotomayor, J., concurring, joined by Ginsburg, J.) (referring to the 'Court's repeated exhortation that the gruesomeness of a crime is not sufficient to demonstrate that a juvenile offender is beyond redemption')); (People v. Padilla 209 Cal. Rptr. 3d at 221 (Cal. App. 2016)). Miller recognized that none of the characteristics that distinguish a child from an adult are 'crime-specific.' (Miller, 567 U.S. at 473, 132 S. Ct. at 2465)." (Paragraph 79)

"The district court also failed to recognized that 'peer influence can play a more subtle role in adolescent behavior, as when teenagers engage in behavior that they think will win peer approval ... or simply encourage one another through group interaction.' (Elizabeth Scott et al., "Juvenile Sentencing Reform in a Constitutional Framework," 88 Temp. L. Rev. 675, 699 (2016))" (Paragraph 81)

"Most juveniles will outgrow the signature qualities of youth by the time their brain development is complete. (See Scott, supra, 88 Temp. L. Rev. at 700). Juveniles are more likely to change with available treatment. Id. at 701. And, the seriousness of their crime does not alter these propositions. Id. at 700." (Paragraph 91)

"A life-without-parole sentence 'means denial of hope; it means that good behavior and character improvement are immaterial; it means that whatever the future might hold in store for the mind and spirit of [the convict], he will remain in prison for the rest of his days.' (Graham v. Florida, 560 U.S. at 70, 130 S. Ct. at 2027 (2010) (quoting Naovarath v. State, 779 P.2d 944, 945 (Nev. 1989))." (Paragraph 94)

"Miller and Montgomery 'make clear that sentencing a juvenile to life without parole is more than a simple consideration of a set of factors.' (Hyatt, 891 N.W.2d at 579). Montgomery establishes a stringent standard whereby a juvenile offender cannot be sentenced to life without parole unless the sentencing court determines, based upon its analysis of the Miller factors, that the juvenile is one of the truly rare individuals incapable of reform." (Paragraph 104)

"[T]he district court abused its discretion by failing to make a finding of permanent incorrigibility based upon its analysis of all the Miller factors. When the Miller factors are not properly considered and weighed and when there is no finding of permanent incorrigibility, or when a finding of permanent incorrigibility is not supported by the Miller factors, the resulting sentence violates the Eighth Amendment." (Paragraph 106)

Double Jeopardy Infects Dozens of Juvenile Lifer Cases

by Necalli Ollin

Across Michigan trial courts are approaching how they sentence juvenile lifers who are eligible for resentencing hearings in different ways. Two areas of particular concern is how they sentence those who were previously sentenced for two counts of first-degree murder for premeditated murder and felony murder for the death of a single victim, and those who were previously sentenced for felony murder and the underlying felony (e.g., armed robbery, larceny, etc.).

Some courts are resentencing people for both of the murder charges and allowing the underlying felony sentence to remain the same. Some are dismissing one of the murder charges and allowing the underlying felony sentence to remain the same. And, others are resentencing for one of the murder charges as well as resentencing for the underlying felony. 

Even judges from the same county are treating cases differently. The problem with all three scenarios is that they are all wrong.

The Michigan Court of Appeals ("MCOA") has ruled that sentences for both premeditated murder and felony murder which arise out of the death of a single victim, and sentences for both felony murder and the underlying felony (e.g., armed robbery, larceny, etc.), violate the double jeopardy protections of the United States and Michigan Constitution. They are plain-errors that seriously affected the fairness, integrity, and public reputation of judicial proceedings that resulted in incorrect judgments of sentence. According to the MCOA the proper remedy for these double jeopardy violations is for the trial court to do the following:

(1) Vacate the underlying felony which was used to elevate the murder charge to felony murder (e.g., armed robbery, larceny, etc.); and (2) Modify the judgment of conviction and sentence to specify that the person's conviction is for one count and one sentence of first-degree murder supported by two theories: premeditated murder and felony.

(People v. Gimotty, 216 Mich App 254, 259-260 (1996); and People v. Bigelow, 229 Mich App 218, 221-222 (1998) (special panel)). The following cases specifically apply to vacating armed robbery when it is the predicate felony to felony murder: People v. Jackson, 100 Mich App 146 (1980); People v. Harding, 443 Mich 693, 795 (1993); and People v. Carter, 1998 Mich App LEXIS 1698 (1998) (unpublished).

Rather than seek to be resentenced for underlying felony charges juvenile lifers being resentenced should only request resentencing for the felony murder charge and not the underlying felony. Instead of requesting resentencing for the underlying felony they should request that it be vacated because it is an unconstitutional sentence they should have never received from the onset according to the MCOA.

Trial courts cannot ignore unconstitutional double jeopardy sentences at resentencing hearings. Refusal to vacate the unlawful sentence will be viewed as an abuse of discretion resulting in reversible error if it becomes necessary for the MCOA to review the abdication of a sentencing court's responsibility. It would also result in additional court hearings, the wasteful use of time and resources, and unnecessary costs to taxpayers.

Over the past year approximately 100 juvenile lifers have been released and 45 have been safely paroled back to the community. They are being productive citizens, most are working, and none have violated the conditions of their parole. Their conduct reflects decades long established statistics that people originally sentenced to life without parole have a less than 1% rate of recidivating. The average term-of-year sentence they received when resentenced is 31 years in line with previous rulings made by the U.S. Supreme Court. 

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled six years ago that sentencing courts are required "to take into account how children are different, and how those differences counsel against irrevocably sentencing them to a lifetime in prison."
(Miller v. Alabama, 567 U.S. 460, 480 (2012)). The court went on state in a separate ruling two years ago that "the penological justifications for life without parole collapse in light of the distinctive attributes of youth" and that only persons who are "incapable of change" can be candidates for a life without parole sentence. (Montgomery v. Louisiana, 136 S Ct 718, 734 (2016)).

Two years ago the MCOA also stated that in sentencing a juvenile, a trial court must begin its analysis with the understanding that life without parole sentences are "unequivocally appropriate only in rare cases." They added, in implementing "stern rebuke of Miller [v. Alabama] and Montgomery [v. Louisiana], the sentencing court must operate under the notion that more likely than not, life without parole is not proportionate." (People v. Hyatt, 316 Mich App 368, 420 (2016)).

Over two-thirds of Michigan's juvenile lifers still await sentencing rehearings. Despite prosecutors' misguided efforts to seek life without parole sentences for the remaining juvenile lifers in defiance of the guidance provided by the U.S. Supreme Court sentencing courts will make the final determination what sentences are actually imposed. It is a very fluid situation right now but soon things will be accelerated with the anticipated ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court regarding whether a judge or jury gets to decide which prisoners can receive life without parole sentences. The court ruling is expected to be made before July.

Sentencing courts exercised the rule of law to sentence over 360 juveniles to death-by-incarceration sentences decades ago. It is now time that they enforce the rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court governing juvenile lifer resentencing hearings with the same vigor moving forward when revisiting these cases. They can acknowledge the stern rebuke of the nation's high court to do the right thing and simultaneously correct the double jeopardy issues which have compounded the miscarriages of justice that have occurred.

Unconstitutional sentences cannot be camouflaged to appear as anything other than they truly are: misapplications or violations of the law. They remain unconstitutional until they are remedied in full and brought in line with U.S. Supreme Court rulings and established law of this state. In the words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "Justice delayed is justice denied."

Federal Court Strikes Down Portion of Mich. Juvenile Lifer Law

by Efren Paredes, Jr.

The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals (COA) recently made an important ruling on behalf of Michigan prisoners who received mandatory life without parole (LWOP) sentences when they were juveniles ("juvenile lifers").

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that mandatory LWOP sentences for juvenile offenders are unconstitutional. The high court subsequently issued another opinion in 2016 which made their 2012 ruling retroactive and applicable to all 2,500 prisoners in the nation serving the draconian sentence. 

The recent U.S. Sixth COA ruling states that these prisoners will now be required to receive good time and/or disciplinary credits depending on the year of their conviction. This will change when they become eligible to pursue a meaningful opportunity for parole consideration based on positive behavior.

Juvenile lifers are also now eligible to participate in rehabilitative programming that they have been denied for decades. Previous to the court's ruling prisoners serving shorter sentences have been provided an array of programs that juvenile lifers have been denied.

The programs they will now become eligible for include Violence Prevention Program, Cage Your Rage, Thinking 4 Change, vocational trades, etc. The new court ruling ends these discriminatory practices and recognizes the right of juvenile lifers to equal protection.

The U.S. Sixth Circuit COA ruled against the issue raised by attorneys representing juvenile lifers seeking a categorical ban on imposing LWOP sentences on juvenile offenders on procedural grounds.

It is an issue that will persistently be raised in the U.S. Supreme Court by attorneys representing juvenile lifers from various states until a total ban is granted and the issue is finally resolved. Attorneys have already begun petitioning the high court seeking the ban and more are preparing to do so.

While the recent U.S. Sixth Circuit COA ruling is not a panacea to unravel all the juvenile lifer legal challenges before them it is a major decision that will have a profound impact on re-shaping the contours of Michigan criminal justice reform relating to juvenile offenders.

The U.S. Sixth Circuit COA ordered Judge John Corbett O'Meara of the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan to expeditiously resolve the matter consistent with the court's ruling. Judge O'Meara will now draft a court order specifying the details of what the State of Michigan must do to comply with the appellate court ruling as early as this month.

The Michigan legislature will also be required to revise MCL 769.25 to reflect the changes made by the U.S. Sixth Circuit COA as well. When they do it would be wise to also do two additional things that would make the sentencing process more reasonable, conserve valuable time and state employee resources, and save taxpayers millions of dollars when resentencing the remaining 260 juvenile lifers.

First, it should join the 26 other states across the country and the 192 nations of the world who have banned LWOP sentences for juvenile offenders. In the past six years nineteen states have abandoned LWOP sentences for juvenile offenders and the number keeps growing.

The U.S. Supreme Court is likely to categorically ban the practice in the coming year. Our state legislators should stand on the right side of history now rather than be compelled to make the right decision later. Remaining obstinate and tone deaf to this issue will burden taxpayers with millions more dollars in wasteful spending for repeating hundreds of resentencing hearings.

It would also force victim families to continue down the painful road of reopening wounds and revisiting tragedies in their lives through unnecessary court hearings and appeals. Many of these families have been trying to move on with their lives without exacerbating their pain and being encumbered with decades of court hearings and appeals.

Second, the legislature should revise the sentencing guidelines for juvenile lifer term-of-year sentences from a 25- to 40-year minimum to a 15- to 30-year minimum. They should also revise the currently allowed maximum term-of-years from 60 years to a maximum of 40 years.

If the 60-year maximum term is not reduced there will be additional years of protracted costly court battles asking courts to rule that 60 years is a veritable death sentence since it exceeds the life span of the average juvenile lifer. Other states have already ruled that such sentences are inordinate and deemed cruel and unusual punishment.

Alternatively, the legislature can convert the sentences of the remaining 260 juvenile lifers awaiting resentencing hearings to sentences of 15-year minimums to 40-year maximums all at once. It would save the state millions of dollars for resentencing hearings.

Since nearly all the juvenile lifers are indigent all court expenses including attorney fees, expert witnesses, etc., will be paid for by taxpayer dollars. Conservative estimates place the price tag around $26 million to pay the fees for the 260 prisoners still awaiting resentencing.

This move alone would not release a single prisoner. It would only give the Parole Board jurisdiction to begin reviewing their cases for release consideration annually after they have served a minimum of 15 years. The Parole Board would utilize their wealth of resources to decide when the prisoners merit release based on their conduct just as they do for over 10,000 other prisoners they safely release annually.

The Parole Board will not release prisoners until they are satisfied they pose no risk or danger to public safety. In fact, the Parole Board could keep juvenile lifers incarcerated for up to 40 years under this sentencing scheme if the Parole Board is not comfortable releasing them until that time. By then most juvenile lifers would range in age between 55- and 57-years old after being behind bars since their mid-teens.

If we are to illogically believe that juvenile offenders are not capable of change, by that same standard we will have to believe no adult is capable of change and deserves a second chance either. After all, each adult who receives a second chance in life was once a teenager.

Michigan should become a leader in criminal justice reform rather than lag behind other states. We cannot lead from behind. We are being looked upon with shame and disappointment for our woefully failing record of human rights abuses against juveniles, the poor, and people of color.

It is a stain we can begin to slowly wash away by making decisions that respect the concept of redemption and inherent dignity of youthful offenders.

(Efren Paredes, Jr. is a blogger and social justice activist who appears as a weekly guest on Detroit Superstation 910 AM. You can learn more about Efren at www.fb.com/Free.Efren and www.4Efren.blogspot.com.)

Cases Seek U.S. S.Ct. Ban on Life Without Parole Sentences for Youth

by Efren Paredes, Jr.

Attorneys for an Idaho prisoner recently petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court seeking a national ban on life without parole (LWOP) sentences for juvenile offenders. The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals will also hear oral arguments September 13, 2017 in Hill v. Snyder, a Michigan case seeking the same ban, among other issues.

These appeals are proceeding while several Michigan prosecutors continue delaying resentencing hearings for dozens of prisoners who received LWOP sentences when they were juveniles ("juvenile lifers"). Many of the prisoners have languished behind bars for decades as 192 civilized nations in the world have abandoned the pernicious practice of condemning juveniles to die in prison.

In 2012 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that mandatory LWOP sentences for juvenile offenders are unconstitutional and ordered the resentencing of the nation's 2,500 prisoners affected by the ruling. Prosecutors from several states ignored the landmark decision, including Michigan, claiming that it was not retroactive and did not apply to cases that had previously exhausted the direct appeal process.

The high court subsequently settled the issue in 2016 making it abundantly clear that its previous ruling four years earlier is indeed retroactive. The court added that upon resentencing juvenile lifers, only prisoners who a sentencing court could establish are "incapable of change" the remainder of their lives can receive LWOP sentences, and that the extreme sentence must become "rare" and "uncommon."

Michigan is home to the second largest population of juvenile lifers in the nation. Prior to 2016 there were 363 prisoners serving the draconian sentence. Seventy percent of them are people of color; a portrait of savage inequality. Since the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling only 91 prisoners have been resentenced. Six prisoners died during the four year wait and never had the opportunity to be resentenced or given serious parole consideration.

Prosecutors across the state are seeking LWOP sentences again for 247 juvenile lifers, or 68% of them, in defiance of the high court ruling. Prosecutors from the counties of Berrien, Gennesee, Macomb, Oakland, Saginaw, and Wayne are responsible for seeking LWOP sentences for over 100 of those prisoners.

In their August 10, 2017 Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court attorneys for Idaho juvenile lifer Sarah Marie Johnson argue that states are rapidly prohibiting juvenile LWOP sentences. They note that nineteen states and the District of Columbia currently prohibit juvenile LWOP sentences.

Prior to the high court's 2012 decision banning mandatory juvenile LWOP sentences only four states prohibited the practice. In 20 states every juvenile offender has a meaningful opportunity to demonstrate to a parole board or judge that s/he has rehabilitated themself in prison and should be eligible for release consideration.

In addition to the 20 jurisdictions that have formally abandoned juvenile LWOP sentencing six states have no individuals serving juvenile LWOP sentences. Seven more states have five or fewer individuals serving the draconian sentence. According to the Johnson brief, "In total, 33 jurisdictions are either abolitionist, or functionally so."

Earlier this year the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held, "For a sentence of [LWOP] to be proportional as applied to a juvenile murderer, the sentencing court must first find, based on competent evidence, that the offender is entirely unable to change."

They added, "It must find that there is no possibility that the offender could be rehabilitated at any point later in his life, no matter how much time he spends in prison and regardless of the amount of therapeutic interventions he receives, and that the crime committed reflects the juveniles true and unchangeable personality and character." (Commonwealth v. Batts, No. 45 MAP 2016, 2017 WL 2735411 (Pa. June 26, 2017))

The Johnson petition to the high court argues that, "While most jurisdictions are following the letter and spirit of this court's juvenile jurisprudence, a handful persists in pursuing the harshest penalties against large numbers of juvenile offenders." They specifically characterized Michigan and Louisiana as being among "a handful of extreme outliers that are flouting the [U.S. Supreme] Court's dictate to limit JLWOP to the rare juvenile offender."

In other words, the abuse of authority and other malfeasance of Michigan's rogue prosecutors is being used as examples by other states to convince the U.S. Supreme Court to end the deplorable practice of sentencing juveniles to die in prison.

Johnson's attorneys have to establish that either the national trend supports that sentencing juveniles to die in prison is no longer acceptable among most states or that the standards of decency regarding this matter have evolved. As they state:

"A substantial majority of states have abandoned JLWOP in law and practice, and others have acted to narrow its application. Today, the use of JLWOP is carried on by a handful of prosecutors in a shrinking number of counties and states. ... [S]entencing children to die in prison is cruel and unusual [which violates the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution]."

If the U.S. Supreme Court accepts the Johnson petition numerous other supporting amicus (i.e., friend of the court) briefs are likely to be filed from various groups and organizations across the country. This frequently occurs in cases that could impact many states or people, or become a landmark decision.

A favorable ruling by the high court would result in a national ban of LWOP sentences for juvenile offenders. Prosecutors who have created inordinate sentencing delays for juvenile lifers who have not yet been resentenced would be precluded from seeking LWOP sentences against them again and any prisoner currently serving the sentence would be eligible for a term-of-year sentence. 

Many people contend that prosecutors intentionally orchestrated creating the conditions for the U.S. Supreme Court to issue a categorical ban on LWOP sentences for juvenile offenders. Doing so would save them time and resources by making it unnecessary to conduct legitimate reviews of each individual case, and deciding whether or not prisoners in their jurisdictions are truly eligible for a LWOP sentence.

According to a source employed in the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office who asked not to be named, "Prosecutors always say it's about victims but it's not. They use victims to advance their tough on crime policy but ignore them when it can make them appear soft on crime."

The person added, "There are instances where victims have forgiven perpetrators, believe in giving them a second chance, or a reduction in time, and prosecutors ignore their wishes. Ultimately this is about prosecutors protecting their jobs and salvaging their reputations."

While this cruel drama has played out prosecutors have vociferously demonized juvenile offenders and expressed their obsession with pursuing LWOP sentences again when resentencing juvenile lifers. They know the nation is on the cusp of ending the deplorable practice once and for all. Despite this reality they continue manipulating the public and media in their relentless thirst for reelection.

Whatever the motivations of these prosecutors, the winding labrynth of justice the public is witnessing juvenile lifers be subjected to is but one chilling example that demonstrates why the U.S. Supreme Court provides a checks and balances to lower courts, judges, prosecutors, and legislatures.

Absent their oversight some would continue ignoring the evolving standards of decency of a civilized society, and leave us trapped in the tombs of yesterday's thinking. Thankfully the high court has frequently reminded us through its rulings that we can't always use antiquated approaches to solve modern day problems.

The consensus among many of the nation's legal scholars is that in the coming months the U.S. Supreme Court will very likely strike down the imposition of LWOP sentences for juvenile offenders nationwide. If a favorable decision isn't reached in the Idaho case the likelihood it will occur in a similar case is growing increasingly high each day.

Defiant prosecutors have made it possible.

(Efren Paredes, Jr. is a Michigan prisoner who is a social justice advocate, blogger and weekly guest on the Elena Herrada Show on Detroit Superstation AM 910 Sunday mornings during the 7 am to 8 am hour. You can learn more about Efren and his latest writings by visiting www.fb.com/Free.Efren or www.TinyURL.com/Efren1016.)

MDOC Implements Strict New Prisoner Mail Policy Changes

by Efren Paredes, Jr.

Today the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) issued a memorandum notifying prisoners and members of the public about new changes being made to the "Prisoner Mail" policy, PD 05.03.118, which should rattle the national consciousness. The changes will be strictly enforced beginning October 1, 2017.

According to the memorandum, "Mail received that violates any of these regulations will be returned to the sender and/or rejected by the mail-room staff in accordance with PD 05.03.118."


The following is the list of new regulations listed in the memorandum:

- All mail must be received in WHITE envelopes only; no security features will be permitted.
- Padded, cardboard, tear resistant, or similar envelopes will not be allowed.
- Stickers of any kind, including return address labels, are prohibited.
- Mail containing stains of any type, including but not limited to, perfume, lipstick, oily substances, water marks, body fluids, etc., are not allowed.
- Only mail written in blue or black ink or lead pencil is permitted. Mail written in marker, crayon, paint, glitter, chalk, charcoal, or colored inks is not permitted.
- Mail must not contain glue/paste or nontransparent tape of any type.
- Greeting cards must be no larger than 6" x 8", single-fold, commercially produced with no embellishments, including but not limited to, cutouts, jewels, raised areas, etc.

See list on MDOC website:  http://www.michigan.gov/corrections/0,4551,7-119-9741_12798-25071--,00.html

The above list includes the most restrictive changes ever made to the MDOC "Prisoner Mail" policy. It appears that administrators are making a strong push to discourage the use of U.S. Mail to communicate with prisoners for anything other than sending letters, photographs, and legal correspondence, and encouraging people to use email instead.

Many courts, attorneys, book vendors, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and members of the public use address labels to mail letters to prisoners. According to the new memorandum all these examples of mail will qualify to be rejected.

The new policy changes are going to create major mail backlogs at each prison because of this. There are 41,000 prisoners in Michigan and tens of thousands of citizens who are related to or know prisoners who will be adversely affected by the new policy changes. It is impossible to notify everyone of the mail policy revisions in such a short period of time before the effective date of the changes. It could also result in prisoners missing court filing deadlines and consequently denial of access to the courts.

The MDOC allows members of the public to send prisoners email through their approved email portal which is www.JPay.com. The problem is there are limitations to the mail that can be sent this way and it is very costly, costing $0.20 per page. Document attachments also cannot be sent using this platform.

People who use www.JPay.com are required to set up an account and locate prisoners they would like to write by their prison number. For instance, someone trying to write me using the platform can do so by locating me on the web site with my prison number, "203116". People can follow the same steps for sending emails to other Michigan prisoners as well, only they enter the prison number of the prisoner they are trying to contact.

Letters and emails are vital to rehabilitation. For families who cannot afford to visit prisoners or the exorbitant price of prisoner phone calls, letters and emails are the only form of communication available to them. It is the only way members of the public can find out how prisoners are doing and remain involved in their lives. This is especially true in the case of prisoners who have served many years behind bars.

It is important that people not allow the new mail restrictions to discourage them from communicating with prisoners. Letters and emails provide hope to prisoners and help them remain tethered to the outside world. In some cases it is their only connection. Mail is one of the most meaningful things in prisoners' lives and I encourage readers to not reduce sending it. 

You are encouraged to circulate this message with as many prisoner family members, friends, and attorneys possible to prevent them from sending prisoners any mail which may contravene the new pernicious MDOC prisoner mail policy restrictions and result in avoidable mail delivery delays. You are welcome to share this message via social media and email.

For those who may view this development as insignificant, I ask you to consider the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who said, "We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, and whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly."

Everyone will be impacted by the new changes at some point because of the persistent uncontrollable growth of mass incarceration.

(Efren Paredes, Jr. is a Michigan prisoner who is a social justice advocate, educator, and blogger. You can learn more about Efren and receive updates about his latest writings by visiting www.fb.com/Free.Efren or www.TinyURL.com/Efren1016.)

Mich. Juvenile Lifer Rally for Justice Draws National Attention

by Necalli Ollin

After thunderstorms barreled through the state Sunday morning, clouds dispersed later that day to create a sunny backdrop for the widely anticipated "Juvenile Lifer Rally for Justice." Citizens across the country descended on Erma Henderson Memorial Park in Detroit, Michigan on June 18, 2017 from 2 pm to 5 pm to shine a powerful spotlight on issues adversely affecting juvenile lifers.

Event organizers Elena Herrada and Efren Paredes, Jr. began planning for two months prior to the date of the event. Plans included doing outreach on radio shows, speaking to college students, inviting event speakers, creating and distributing posters, developing an online platform to contact state legislators to pass Michigan prison reform, and promoting the event on social media and blogs.

Elena Herrada is a Detroit Superstation AM 910 radio show host and adjunct professor at Marygrove College and Wayne County Community College. Efren Paredes, Jr. is an advocate for social change, youth mentor, blogger, and one of Michigan's 363 juvenile lifers.

The event was endorsed by an impressive list of groups and organizations from around the country. Among them are Amnesty International, Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), Human Rights Advocates, The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency (MCCD), Voice of Detroit Newspaper, My Brother's Keeper Prison Outreach Program (MBK-POP), Xica Nation, ACLU (Detroit), Humanity for Prisoners, and ICAN (Incarcerated Childrens' Advocacy Network).

Other supporters included The Injustice Must End (TIME), South Eastern Michigan Indians, Inc. (SEMII), Black Lives Matter, and LaSED (Latin American Social and Economic Development), Peace Education Center of Greater Lansing, My Brother's Keeper Prison Outreach Program (MBK-POP), National Lifers of America, Inc. (Chapter 1030), Sacred Heart Catholic Church (Detroit), St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Keep the Vote No Takeover, Moratorium Now, Detroit School Board in Exile, Operation Get Down, and others.

Bryan Stevenson, Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, recently wrote a message to organizers about the event stating, "Thank you so much for your organizing and activism on this issue. It's great to see people committing to highlighting this shameful practice. We would be very pleased to be listed as an endorser of your convening. I hope it goes well. All the best."

Stevenson is the author of the New York Times Bestseller "Just Mercy" and the attorney who successfully argued the landmark Miller v. Alabama case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012 which lead to the end of mandatory life without parole (LWOP) sentences for juvenile offenders nationwide.

In 2012 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that mandatory LWOP sentences were unconstitutional and ordered the resentencing of the nation's 2,500 juvenile lifers. Of that number 363 prisoners are from Michigan.

"Juvenile lifers" are prisoners sentenced to mandatory LWOP when they were juveniles. Michigan shamefully ranks second in the nation as the state with the highest population of juvenile lifers.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a United Nations treaty, requires that imprisonment be used only as a "measure of last resort" for juvenile offenders, and "for the shortest appropriate time."

In 2016 the high court made their 2012 ruling retroactive. They also held that when resentencing prisoners reimposing LWOP sentences again must become "rare," "uncommon," and reserved only for those who are "incapable of change."

Since the latter ruling 15 months ago only a small fraction of Michigan's juvenile lifers have been resentenced. The remaining prisoners continue serving unconstitutional sentences. Prosecutors have stalled the process and some have not scheduled any cases for resentencing in their counties.

Prosecutors from Berrien, Gennesse, Macomb, Oakland, and Saginaw counties are shamefully seeking LWOP sentences for almost all the 100 juvenile lifer cases in those counties being resentenced. Wayne County is seeking LWOP sentences for 61 of the 158 cases in its jurisdiction. They are doing this despite the U.S. Supreme Court rulings referenced above.

In recent years 19 states have banned LWOP sentences for juvenile offenders and six states have no juveniles serving the deplorable sentence. This means that half the country has abandoned the practice while many Michigan prosecutors have maliciously obstructed justice in juvenile lifer cases for the past five years. During this time six juvenile lifers have died awaiting the justice they were never fortunate enough to receive.

Among the issues the event called attention to are:

Prosecutors to:
- Uphold the Model Rules of Professional Responsibility statement as ministers of justice;
- For them to have more than a nominal commitment to rehabilitation;
- To stop pursuing LWOP sentences that are at odds with U.S. Supreme Court rulings; and
- To stop delaying juvenile lifer resentencing hearings across the state.

They called on judges to:
- Impose the minimum term-of-year sentence allowed pursuant to MCL 769.25 for all juvenile lifers being resentenced and stop imposing LWOP sentences on juvenile offenders.

They also called on lawmakers to:
- Pass legislation abolishing LWOP sentences for juvenile offenders; to
- Give jurisdiction to the Parole Board to begin reviewing all juvenile lifer cases for meaningful parole consideration annually after serving 15 years; and to
- Allow juvenile offenders who are resentenced to receive good time and disciplinary credits, which is currently not allowed.

A 10-Point Michigan Prison Reform Platform and online petition was also unveiled that citizens across the state can digitally sign. The petition will deliver emails to state legislators calling on them to reform the state's prison system. Some of the proposed reforms include abolishing LWOP sentences for juveniles, restoring good time eligibility for all prisoners, reducing the predatory pricing of phone calls, providing relief to prisoners serving life or long indeterminate sentences, etc.

Among the rich array of people who spoke at the event were Eric Alexander from the Washington, DC-based Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth; Dr. Austin Jackson, Director, MSU My Brother's Keeper Program; Ken Grunow, President, Amnesty International (Detroit); Rodd Monts, Legislative Department Field Director, ACLU of Michigan; Dr. John Masterson, Board Member, Peace Education Center of Greater Lansing; and Mario Bueno, Co-Director, LUCK, Inc.

Also speaking that afternoon were Hon. Peter Deegan, retired judge, prosecutor, and past President of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan; Velia Koppenhoefer, member of The Injustice Must End (TIME); Elyse Blennerhassett, Columbia University graduate student, New York-based podcast producer, and photographer; former prisoners who were convicted as juveniles who were paroled and are now productive citizens, and others.

   

  

Speakers shared personal stories and offered examples of the capacity for change in young people. They emphasized the need to not impose extreme sentences on youth offenders and for judges to be mindful of the concept of redemption.

Retired judge, prosecutor, and past President of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, Peter Deegan, urged prosecutors to not make decisions in juvenile lifer cases that are at odds with U.S. Supreme Court rulings. He said it makes sense that if a person who received an unconstitutional sentence as a teen can demonstrate they've been rehabilitated, they should have a chance at parole one day.

Velia Koppenhoefer, member of The Injustice Must End (TIME), stated, "We are not asking prosecutors or judges to do any more than the nation's high court has ordered in this matter."

Koppenhoefer added, "We are simply asking them to follow the law. Providing term-of-year sentences to juvenile lifers and the opportunity for meaningful parole consideration is a sensible and humane solution that can bring resolution to the problem."

Speakers expressed frustration with the state spending $34,000 to incarcerate each prisoner yearly yet only investing $7,000 annually per pupil, and the fact that the state pays more for incarceration than it does for higher education.

To punctuate the value of children's futures at the event two children were permitted to speak during the program, a girl age 7 and a boy age 10. The seven-year-old also assisted organizers distribute flyers, business cards, and water during the program.

Paredes, who called the event from prison and had his voice amplified over the event sound system stated, "We betray humanity when we condemn people to die in prison because of mistakes they made when they were children."

Members of the print, television, and radio media provided coverage of the event. It was also recorded by a documentary film producer and podcast producer to be featured as part of a future production.

Nearly 200 people attended the rally throughout the afternoon and enjoyed the uplifting atmosphere. One attendee from Lansing, Michigan described the experience as "powerful and moving." Another person who traveled from out of state characterized the energy at the event as "inspiring" and described feeling "a sense of hope and renewal."

A currently incarcerated juvenile lifer, Ronnie Waters who has served 37 years in prison, expressed gratitude for the event. He stated, "Thank you from the heart for not forgetting about the difficult fight that juvenile lifers are engaged in across the state. Knowing you are there to support us lifts our spirits during this long, difficult wait. May God be with all of you freedom fighters who never stop beating the drum for justice. We love you all."

Event organizers vowed to keep organizing to bring attention to the issues surrounding juvenile lifer resentencing hearings and prison reform affecting all prisoners. They also expressed plans to mobilize thousands of prisoner families, friends, and formerly incarcerated people to become active in the election process and stand behind public office candidates that support prison reform. Among the offices they will seek to impact include the Governor, Attorney General, lawmakers, mayors, judges, prosecutors, city clerks, and others.

According to Paredes, "Children for generations will be impacted by our decision to act or our unwillingness to do so. We can not sit silently in the periphery as spectators and allow the lives and futures of our young people to be carelessly thrown away."

He countered false claims and hyperbole made by prosecutors about the manufactured danger juvenile lifers allegedly pose to public safety by pointing to the fact that prisoners serving life sentences who are paroled statistically have less than a 2% chance of reoffending. They have ranked the lowest of all offense categories for over 100 years and consistently demonstrated they can be safely returned to society with minimal risks or danger to the public.

The state's addiction to incarceration as a solution to the crime problem is a failed solution that must be replaced with sensible alternatives that work. If not, mass incarceration will continue to be a vortex that suffocates everything in its path. 

A link to the "Support Michigan Prison Reform" petition is available at www.TinyURL.com/MIPR2017

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The following is the 10-Point Michigan Prison Reform Platform that is part of the "Support Michigan Prison Reform" online petition:

1. Abolish life without parole (LWOP) sentences for all juvenile offenders, revise MCL 769.25 to allow juvenile lifers to receive meaningful parole eligibility annually after serving 15 years, and allow them to receive good time and disciplinary credits if they receive a term-of-years when resentenced.

2. Restore good time eligibility so prisoners can earn early release for completion of rehabilitative programming and demonstration of positive behavior.

3. End Michigan's failed truth in sentencing policy which is largely responsible for maintaining a large prison population despite a widely recognized consistent statistical drop in crime for several years.

4. End mandatory minimum sentences and give discretion to judges to impose sentences based on all the facts of an individual case since no two cases are the same.

5. Institute presumptive parole for prisoners who complete all parole program requirements and screen high probability of parole so prisoners are not arbitrarily denied paroles they have fairly earned.

6. Stop sending women to prison who have been the victims of violence for defending themselves against their abusers.

7. Increase rehabilitative programming opportunities for all prisoner demographics, including those serving long sentences since 95% of all prisoners will become returning citizens one day.

8. Allow the Parole Board to obtain jurisdiction over prisoners serving long indeterminate sentences and begin annually reviewing them for parole consideration after they have served 20 years.

9. Allow prisoners serving parolable life sentences to become eligible for parole review/release annually after serving 20 years; and allow prisoners serving non-parolable life sentences who were convicted over the age of 18 to become eligible for parole review/release annually after serving 25 years.

10. Reduce the predatory pricing of prisoner phone calls from $.20 per minute to $.10 per minute to help prisoners maintain family and community ties and foster rehabilitation.