KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting announced on Monday, May 15 that he plans to join many of Michigan’s 83 county prosecuting attorneys in opposition to the juvenile lifer legislation which is now poised to pass in the Michigan House and Senate.
If passed, the legislation will eliminate the possibility of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for defendants under the age of 19 who are convicted of First Degree Murder.
In his statement, Getting said, “These proposed bills would make every person convicted of First-Degree Murder for an act they committed before their 19th birthday, eligible for parole release after just 10 years. The county prosecuting attorneys and The Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan (PAAM) believe that these laws would be unfair to victims’ families and dangerous to our communities.”
He went onto say that he, and his fellow prosecutors supporting his position that he was in favor of juveniles having second chances, but those who have committed First-Degree Murder should face the possibility of the ultimate consequence of a life without parole sentence.
Elected prosecutors from across the state, both Republican and Democrat, say House Bills 4160-4164 and Senate Bills 119-123 needlessly jeopardize public safety.
