Michigan high court broadens resentencing for crimes committed as minors

The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that a 50-to-75-year sentence given to a man convicted of second-degree murder for a shooting committed at age 16 amounts to a functional life sentence and must be reconsidered. The 6-1 decision in People of MI v. Eads extends earlier rulings that found long sentences for crimes committed by minors can violate constitutional protections because juvenile brains are not fully developed.

Justice Kimberly Thomas, writing for the majority, said the sentence created a strong chance the defendant would not live long enough to become eligible for parole. Michigan has sentenced more juveniles to life in prison than any other state, and attorneys say the ruling could open the door to challenges in other cases, though the court did not specify what sentence length would be considered acceptable going forward. A prosecutor with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said the ruling leaves unresolved questions about shorter sentences and other offenses.

In a separate, unanimous ruling in People of MI v. Black, the court set new rules for resentencing hearings, allowing prosecutors to require their own psychological evaluation of a defendant if the defendant introduces psychological evidence, but barring prosecutors from using that evaluation to argue against a reduced sentence. The defendant's attorney in that case said the ruling was fair and that existing psychological evaluations of youthful offenders often already show evidence of rehabilitation.

Read the full story at michiganpublic.org.