Current:Home > Contact-usMichigan’s top court to consider whether to further limit no-parole life sentences-LoTradeCoin
Michigan’s top court to consider whether to further limit no-parole life sentences
View Date:2024-12-23 19:32:23
DETROIT (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court said it will hear arguments in cases that could lead to a ban on automatic life prison sentences for people who were 19 or 20 years old when they were involved in a major crime such as murder.
The court took a significant step in 2022 when it said mandatory no-parole sentences for 18-year-olds convicted of murder violated the Michigan Constitution’s prohibition on “cruel or unusual” punishment.
Now the court will consider whether to extend that principle to people who were 19 or 20.
In an order Friday, the Supreme Court said it would hear arguments in the months ahead in cases from Wayne and Oakland counties.
No-parole life sentences are still possible in Michigan for someone 18 or younger, but they’re no longer automatic. Judges must hold hearings and learn about that person’s childhood, education, potential for rehabilitation and other factors. The burden is on prosecutors, if they choose, to show that a life sentence fits.
Critics of life sentences for young people argue that their brain is not fully developed, which sometimes leads to tragic decisions.
A number of states around the country have banned life-without-parole sentences for minors, especially after a series of decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court, starting in 2012. Massachusetts’ highest court in January raised the minimum age for automatic life sentences from 18 to 21.
veryGood! (57874)
Related
- Jason Kelce collaborates with Stevie Nicks for Christmas duet: Hear the song
- John Cena's Super-Private Road to Marrying Shay Shariatzadeh
- US arranging evacuation flights for Americans who want to leave Israel as war with Hamas rages
- Judge to hear arguments from TikTok and content creators who are challenging Montana’s ban on app
- Repair Hair Damage In Just 90 Seconds With This Hack from WNBA Star Kamilla Cardoso
- It's the 10th year of the Kirkus Prize. Meet the winners of a top literary award
- Best horror books to read this spooky season: 10 page-turners to scare your socks off
- An Israeli jewelry designer described as ‘the softest soul’ has been abducted, her family says
- Judge moves to slash $38 million verdict in New Hampshire youth center abuse case
- 'It’s so heartbreaking': Legendary Florida State baseball coach grapples with dementia
Ranking
- Utah AD Mark Harlan rips officials following loss to BYU, claims game was 'stolen from us'
- Scientists count huge melts in many protective Antarctic ice shelves. Trillions of tons of ice lost.
- New indictment charges Sen. Menendez with being an unregistered agent of the Egyptian government
- Idaho officials briefly order evacuation of town of about 10,000 people after gas line explodes
- Pistons' Tim Hardaway Jr. leaves in wheelchair after banging head on court
- Chris Rock likely to direct Martin Luther King Jr. biopic and produce alongside Steven Spielberg
- Early morning storms leave path of damage from Tampa Bay into north Florida. No injuries reported
- A youth football coach was shot in front of his team during practice at a park in St. Louis
Recommendation
-
Amazon Prime Video to stream Diamond Sports' regional networks
-
Mexico’s president calls 1994 assassination of presidential candidate a ‘state crime’
-
Social Security recipients will get a smaller increase in benefits as inflation cools
-
Auto workers escalate strike as 8,700 workers walk out at a Ford Kentucky plant
-
Tampa Bay Rays' Wander Franco arrested again in Dominican Republic, according to reports
-
IOC suspends Russian Olympic Committee for incorporating Ukrainian sports regions
-
New 'Frasier' review: Kelsey Grammer leads a new cast in embarrassingly bad revival
-
Billie Jean King still globetrotting in support of investment, equity in women’s sports