File photo
File photo
A Michigan Supreme Court ruling is opening the door for nearly 600 convicted killers in the state to be considered for more lenient sentences. That’s good news for inmates, but a potential headache for prosecutors who may not have the staff to handle the additional workload, The Detroit News reports.
The court ruled 5-2 in April that a mandatory life sentence without parole for first-degree murder is an “unconstitutionally cruel punishment” for 19- and 20-year-olds, because their brains aren’t fully developed, George Hunter of The News reports:
There are 582 defendants whose cases are affected by the Supreme Court’s decision, with about 400 in Wayne County, according to the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan. The ruling requires prosecutors to file motions to uphold the life sentences within 90 days; otherwise, the defendants will be resentenced to a term of years, which opens the opportunity for eventual release back into the community.
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton tells The News he hasn’t decided whether to file motions to fight the resentencing for the 44 cases in his office affected by the ruling.
“We’re just recovering from the COVID backlog, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to take on these new cases, because I just don’t have the staffing for it,” he tells The News. “The court is telling us we need to do all this extra work, but not providing any money for it. There’s so much still to do. I haven’t made decisions on any of these cases yet.”
