While reading a Michigan Public Radio article this week, I couldn’t help but shake my head at the complete ridiculousness jumping off my phone screen.
Prosecutors are complaining about the backlog of cases related to resentencing juvenile lifers from the outrageous sentences doled out during the “tough on crime” era; a problem entirely of their own making, inflicted to secure elections.
I’m sorry to say, and I’m sure you already guessed it, prosecutors, I do not feel an ounce of sympathy for you. I think you will be hard-pressed to find many people who will, actually.
As a process improvement minded professional, I am genuinely annoyed.
One of the key elements of continuous process improvement is removing “rework” because it creates waste.
Because waste is what happens every time you choose punishment over rehabilitation. It wastes human potential so you can secure funding.
But now? Now you have to deal with it, too.
A Backlog Years in the Making
Prosecutors across Michigan (unless you are a progressive prosecutor, in which case, I am so sorry this is happening to you) are only now voicing concerns about the growing burden of reviewing life without parole (LWOP) sentences.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: the same institutions now overwhelmed by these reviews were instrumental in creating the problem.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, many prosecutors aggressively sought LWOP sentences—even for teenagers—as part of the “tough on crime” era. Harsh sentencing policies were lauded as deterrents, and few in power stopped to consider the developmental science or long-term consequences of condemning young people to die in prison.
Newsflash: it’s not a deterrent.
Now, as courts rule these sentences unconstitutional for youth up to age 20, Michigan counties are being forced to revisit hundreds of cases; each one requiring legal review, resources, and sometimes a re-litigation of trauma.
Again, this is a self-inflicted wound.
You literally did this to yourselves, and now you want taxpayers to bail you out with more funding.
Hard pass, bubba.
Forcing Accountability
Recent decisions by the Michigan Supreme Court have made it clear that blanket LWOP sentences for young adults are a constitutional violation.
I know for a lot of you, the constitution isn’t something you like to uphold, but right now, you don’t get a choice.
(For the record, this article is out of Ohio, but still pretty applicable to Michigan.)
This follows a broader legal shift recognizing that adolescent brains are not fully developed, and young people deserve a chance at rehabilitation and redemption.
This legal evolution has led to dozens of cases being sent back for resentencing. And yet, instead of acknowledging the role your offices played in advocating for these extreme sentences, some prosecutors are publicly complaining about how much work it now takes to clean up the mess.
The Human Cost of Prosecutorial Excess
The resentencing process isn’t just an administrative inconvenience.
It’s a reckoning with decades of racial injustice, prosecutorial overreach, and a punitive system that ignored the humanity of young defendants—many of whom were Black or from marginalized communities.
A study by The Sentencing Project found that nearly 80% of juveniles sentenced to life without parole in the U.S. are people of color. In Michigan, Black youth were especially likely to face the harshest penalties during the height of mass incarceration.
These policies have entire lives and reproductive rights from people. It’s quietly carried out eugenics.
Now What? Working Toward a More Accountable Future
Instead of pushing back against change, prosecutors, this is your chance to embrace the moment.
This is a chance to lead.
Stop defending old mistakes.
Start advocating for fairness, transparency, and mercy moving forward.
The resentment some prosecutors, or judges even, feel toward the resentencing process shouldn’t be directed at the courts or victims’ families.
Or defendants and their families, for that matter.
…because this is officially a “whoever smelt it dealt” situation.
Any ire a prosecutor feels at this time should be directed inward at the failed tough-on-crime era that prioritized political wins over justice.
And in Michigan, that outdated thinking is still prevalent in many counties, so may I suggest you think long and hard about what you’re still doing.
Taxpayers can’t change the mess you made. But we can demand that those responsible take part in fixing it.
No more complaining.
Roll up your sleeves, and get to rework.
Sources:
- Michigan Public Radio. (2025). Reviewing life without parole sentences strains resources, prosecutors say
- AP News. (2022). Michigan Supreme Court expands protections for young adults
- The Sentencing Project. (2023). Juvenile Life Without Parole
- Teen Vogue. (2023). Black youth are disproportionately sentenced to juvenile life without parole
