A push to end juvenile life without parole sentences in Michigan

Three former juvenile lifers shared their stories Thursday at Calvin University.

Ronnie Waters explains he knows he's guilty for his actions as a teenager.

Court records show that in 1980, Waters shot and killed a woman when she and her husband were at a drive-in.

"When I was a very young person, I made a horrible mistake and took an innocent person's life. And the penalty was that they gave me life without the possibility of parole," Waters told FOX 17.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Miller v. Alabama in 2012 that life without parole sentences for children 17 or younger is unconstitutional. Those teenagers would then go to be resentenced.

Waters explains he had been working to better himself by helping other inmates learn how to read and write. He added that in 2020, he got his second chance.

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"It was like, now I have an opportunity to show people that I'm better than the worst thing I ever did in my life," Waters said.

He is now on a mission of spreading hope and healing.

"I'm remorseful for my crime," Waters said. "I'm trying to live a life that everybody can be proud of."

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The organization Safe & Just Michigan advocates for other juveniles who deserve to turn a page.

"People change and deserve second chances, especially kids," Safe & Just Michigan Executive Director John Cooper said.

Michigan is one of a handful of states where a juvenile can be sentenced to life without parole. Waters says there's a misconception between the laws on the books here in our state compared to what the Supreme Court ruled on more than a decade ago.

The United States Supreme Court ruled that juveniles could not be mandatorily sentenced to life without parole, meaning that it's still on the table. But it couldn't be mandatory. So that means that you have to come back and have a hearing, take a look at that person as they mature and become an adult. Then, if they feel that you still deserve to be sentenced to life without parole, judges still have an option," Waters added.

That's why Safe & Just Michigan hosted a discussion at Calvin University to continue the push to change laws here in the state.

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"So if you are still maturing when you're incarcerated, shouldn't you get a second look later on after you're an adult, and see whether you're the kind of person who should be released in society or not?" Cooper said.

At the capitol, legislation is in the works to change the laws here in Michigan, opening the door for more opportunities like Waters's.

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"We are not advocating for slaps on the wrist or just to ignore the crimes that we commit," Waters said.

Both bills are in House and Senate committees. It's unclear when or if they will be voted on.

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