Legislation allowing incarcerated individuals to petition their sentencing judge for a reduction of their sentence after serving 10 years was considered in the House Criminal Justice Committee this week.
Key Points:
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- The incarcerated individual, their lawyer, or the prosecutor would be able to petition the sentencing judge for a reduction of their sentence if they are no longer a risk to the community.
- The judge would consider factors such as the age of the person at the time of the crime and research on brain development, the person’s history while incarcerated, the person’s role in the offense compared to the other co-defendants, relevant evidence about the person’s mental or physical health now or at the time of the offense, among other factors.
- The victim would be notified of the resentencing hearing, and they could make a statement.
- The only offense that would disqualify a person from this proposal would be a conviction of a mass shooting offense where the person was convicted for three or more counts of first-degree premeditated murder during a single incident.
- On average, the cost to keep an individual incarcerated is $48,700 per year in Michigan.
Next Steps:
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- The bills remain before the committee awaiting further consideration.
