This decision builds upon a 2022 ruling that extended similar considerations to 18-year-olds, emphasizing the importance of evaluating the neurological development of young adults in sentencing decisions. The court’s majority opinion, penned by Justice Elizabeth Welch, leaned heavily on scientific research indicating that the brains of individuals up to age 21 are still developing. This, they argue, makes young adults more impulsive and less culpable, warranting a reevaluation of harsh sentencing.

Hundreds of convicted killers are now eligible for new sentencing.

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According to the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, the outcome of this decision means that there are 582 defendants affected, a whopping 400 of them in Wayne County, home to the city of Detroit.

Prosecutors were told they have only 90 days to file motions to keep the life sentences in place; if they don’t, the defendants will be resentenced to a term of years – potentially paving the way for their release back into the community.

Prosecutors sound the alarm on “unfunded mandate.”

Local prosecutors have been less than thrilled about the decision. They warn that beyond raising questions of accountability, the court’s ruling will worsen already severe case backlogs, overwhelm understaffed offices, and force victims’ families to relive painful memories.

Additionally, it’s an expensive endeavor. Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton told the Detroit News that the court decision is an “unfunded mandate” and goes on to say, “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. 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.”

Leyton adds, “This is terrible for the public because it’s going to drain our resources. There’s a very real possibility our resources will get diverted from carjackings and armed robberies to deal with this. The ruling is going to cause all sorts of problems, and prosecutors are already in a hole. This just digs us a deeper hole.”

As prosecutors brace for a flood of resentencing hearings, victims’ families are left to deal with justice possibly being undone for their loved ones. While the court’s decision may be rooted in “science,” the fallout is deeply human – and could be potentially dangerous as these killers are released back into a community that had already decided they needed to be locked up forever.