LEGISLATION INTRODUCED SEEKING TO END DEATH IN PRISON SENTENCES FOR MICH. CHILDREN

The following updates are regarding a campaign to support passage of House Bills 4160-4164 and Senate Bills 119-123 into law.

If passed, the set of bills would make Michigan the twenty-sixth state to end the inhumane practice of sentencing justice-impacted children to life without parole (LWOP). Another nine states have no one serving the extreme punishment who was sentenced when they were a child.

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

The bills will allow justice-impacted children to receive term-of-year sentences that provide them release consideration later in their adult lives based on demonstrated change and rehabilitation.

Read the information below to learn how you can help replace the cruel throw away policy of the past with a forward-thinking sentencing reform that recognizes human dignity and the concept of redemption. #EndJLWOP #AbolishDBI

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SIGN PETITION


Please sign the new online petition to send your respective Michigan State Representative and Senator an email expressing support for passage of House Bills 4160-4164 and Senate Bills 119-123. You are invited to also share the petition link widely in your social media network and ask others to do the same.

The petition can be accessed at http://Bit.ly/END-MI-JLWOP.

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NEW POSTER TO SUPPORT END TO LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE SENTENCES FOR MICHIGAN CHILDREN

Please share the new 8.5″ x 11″ poster in your network to help garner support for passage of Senate Bills 119-123 and House Bills 4160-4164.

You can download and display the poster on your social media pages, at social justice events, libraries, community centers, workplaces, businesses, on college campuses, in faith communities, homes, and any other places where people gather.

The poster is available for download free in JPEG and PDF formats at http://Bit.ly/END-MI-JLWOP-POSTER.

A high-resolution version of the poster is also available upon request for those interested in producing copies of the poster using a professional printing service. You can request the high-resolution version from MiPrisonReform@gmail.com.

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INVITATION TO FAITH LEADERS/COMMUNITIES TO HELP END LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE SENTENCES FOR MICHIGAN CHILDREN

Faith leaders/communities are invited to sign on to a statement of support which calls on Michigan lawmakers to pass Senate Bills 119-123 and House Bills 4160-4164.

More than 100 faith-based groups and organizations representing law enforcement officials, victims’ families, mental health experts, and child welfare advocates have endorsed the Statement of Principles for the Fair Sentencing of Youth and the national campaign to end the practice of sentencing children to life without parole (LWOP).

Supporters include the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops, American Correctional Association, American Psychological Association, American Medical Association, and National Black Police Association, among many others. A complete list of supporters is available at http://FairSentencingOfYouth.org/Official-Supporters.

A list of statewide faith leaders/communities who sign on to a statement of support specific to Michigan which appears below will be provided to lawmakers as part of the campaign to pass the proposed legislation referenced above.

Faith leaders/communities can add their name to the statement by contacting Preston Shipp, Senior Policy Counsel at The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, via email at preston@cfsy.org.

FAITH LEADERS/COMMUNITIES STATEMENT OF SUPPORT

Distinguished Members of the Michigan Legislature,

We are writing as leaders of the Michigan faith community to add our voices to the diverse chorus that supports legislation to abolish life without the possibility of parole for children. We are at a unique moment in which Michigan has the opportunity to join twenty-six other states and jurisdictions, including Arkansas, the Dakotas, Maryland, Nevada, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia, in affirming that no child should ever be told that they have no hope but to die in prison.

As people of faith, we respect the dignity of every human being and strive for justice for all people as image-bearers of God. Children in particular are deserving of our compassion and concern, as they simultaneously represent the most vulnerable members of our community and our most valuable resource as we work for a more just future.

When children cause harm, it is important to hold them accountable in age-appropriate, trauma-informed ways that leave room for the profound potential that they have to move beyond their worst moments and experience dramatic positive transformation.

A belief in redemption and second chances lies at the heart of our faith traditions, and we must put in place youth sentencing policies that are in harmony with the fundamental truth that people change, that God changes people.

Our faith teaches us that we are, all of us, more than the worst thing we have ever done, particularly when we were 15, 16, or 17 years old. When a person who has served a lengthy sentence for a crime she or he committed as a child is able to demonstrate rehabilitation, we must give them an opportunity to lean into the future God has in store for them outside prison walls.

When someone suffers harm, particularly when a life is lost, we mourn with those who mourn. And when the person who caused the harm repents and shows that they can contribute to and serve their communities in positive ways, we should rejoice as when something that once was lost is found.

Our scriptures and even our songs affirm that every child is loved by God. They are precious in his sight. Therefore every child matters. Every child is worthy of our care and concern. As faith leaders, we encourage you to support legislation that will end the practice of sentencing children to die in prison and provide meaningful opportunities for redemption.