State Rep. Sarah Lightner (R-Springport), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, today issued the following statement after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that 19- and 20-year-olds who commit first-degree murder cannot automatically be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole:

“This ruling is absolutely outrageous. The idea that 19- and 20-year-olds are somehow incapable of understanding right from wrong is insulting to victims, their families, and our justice system. These are not kids. These are legal adults who made conscious, horrific decisions to take innocent lives, and they should be held fully accountable.

“Life without parole is not a sentence handed out lightly. It is reserved for the most heinous, calculated crimes. To now say that hundreds of convicted killers deserve a second chance, simply because they were a few months shy of 21 when they committed murder, is a slap in the face to victims and their families.”

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