Hi Friends,

Massachusetts has banned sentencing young people under 21 to life in prison with no possibility of parole. Michigan and Washington have eliminated making such sentences mandatory. What about your state?

"Based on the 'unrebutted scientific consensus' before it, the Michigan Supreme Court found that 19- and 20-year-olds share with 18-year-olds 'the same mitigating characteristics of late-adolescent brain development' that distinguish children from adults."¹

If young people cannot make corrections, who can?

Tell your state to catch up!

Has the world's leading imprisoner nation altogether abandoned the thinking that led to the name "Department of Corrections"?

Have vengeance, sadism, and profit taken over completely? Or can we make this minimal effort to support the development of good members of society, by merely allowing the possibility that they might someday qualify for parole?

Ask your state legislators to do the right thing!

This work is only possible with your financial support. Please chip in $12 now.

Thanks for all you do!

In Solidarity,
The RootsAction Team

Footnotes:

1. Equal Justice Initiative: "Michigan Supreme Court Bars Automatic Death-in-Prison Sentences for Youngest Adults"

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