Imagine we’re all sitting down together, looking at the family budget for Michigan. We want our money to go to good things, right? Things that make our communities stronger, healthier, and safer.
- The High Cost of Forever Care: Think about it: when someone gets a LWOP sentence, Michigan commits to housing, feeding, and providing healthcare for that person for the rest of their natural life. Our prisons are like nursing homes for a lot of these folks as they get older. Healthcare costs, especially for elderly inmates, are huge. We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions, per person over a lifetime. That’s money from our taxes that could be going to our schools, fixing our roads, supporting mental health services, or even funding programs that prevent crime in the first place.
- Doesn’t it make you wonder if those precious resources could be used to build a stronger, healthier Michigan for everyone, rather than for decades of indefinite incarceration?
- Lost Potential, Lost Contributions: Every person, even someone who has committed a terrible crime, represents potential. While they’re in prison without hope of release, they can’t contribute to society in a meaningful way. They can’t work, earn money, pay taxes, or support their families. They can’t become mentors, artists, or community helpers. It’s a closed door to any future contribution, and that’s a loss for Michigan’s workforce and economy.
- What if we could offer pathways for growth and eventual safe reintegration for some, allowing them to become productive members of society again? Could that not benefit us all?
Why It’s Not as Helpful as We Might Think, and the Harm It Causes
Beyond the money, LWOP can unintentionally cause a lot of harm and isn’t always the most effective path.
- Taking Away Hope Takes Away Incentive: Imagine you’re told there’s absolutely no chance of ever seeing the outside world again. For many, that removes a powerful incentive to truly rehabilitate, to engage in therapy, to learn new skills, or to genuinely reflect on their actions. Why work towards self-improvement if there’s no hope for a future outside? It can make rehabilitation programs less effective, and sometimes, even lead to more despair and difficult behavior within prisons.
- Don’t we want a system that encourages positive change and growth, even for those who have made terrible mistakes? Hope can be a powerful motivator.
- The Ripple Effect of Broken Families: When someone is locked away forever, it doesn’t just affect them. It creates a never-ending wound for their families, especially children. These families often struggle financially and emotionally. The cycle of trauma and hardship can continue for generations. A system that offers some possibility of parole, even after a very long time, can give families a glimmer of hope and a reason to stay connected, which can be crucial for an inmate’s long-term behavior and the well-being of their children.
- Is it truly justice if it creates endless suffering for innocent family members, without a path to eventual healing or reconnection?
- What if We Made a Mistake? This is a tough one to think about, but it’s vital. Our justice system, as hard as everyone works, isn’t perfect. Innocent people are sometimes convicted. With an LWOP sentence, there’s no way to undo that error once someone has spent their life behind bars. Even if new evidence emerges years later, the sheer weight of a “forever” sentence can make it incredibly difficult to rectify. It’s a final, irreversible decision.
- Shouldn’t our system always leave a tiny door open for justice to be truly served, especially if there’s a chance of error?
- Focusing on Punishment Over Prevention: When we invest so heavily in endless incarceration, we sometimes miss opportunities to invest in what truly makes our communities safer: robust education, accessible mental healthcare, job training, and programs that address the root causes of crime. If we redirected some of the vast resources spent on LWOP, imagine the proactive, positive changes we could implement.
- Could we build a Michigan where fewer crimes happen in the first place, rather than just locking people away indefinitely after they occur?
So, What Can We Do, Michigan?
Thinking about all this, it makes you feel like there’s a better way, doesn’t it? It’s not about being “soft on crime”; it’s about being smart on justice. It’s about building a system that balances accountability with hope, and punishment with the potential for human growth and societal contribution.
Here’s the exciting part: We can talk about this! We can ask our lawmakers, our community leaders, and even our neighbors:
- “Could we explore alternatives to LWOP that still ensure public safety but allow for reviews and the possibility of parole after a very long, appropriate period?”
- “How can we reallocate the immense costs of LWOP towards programs that prevent crime, support victims, and truly rehabilitate individuals?”
- “What if Michigan became a leader in restorative justice, proving that we can be both tough and compassionate, safe and humane?”
By asking these questions, by starting these conversations, and by learning more about how other states and countries approach justice, we can work together to build a Michigan that’s not only safer but also more just, more economical, and more hopeful for everyone. Our voices, together, can make a real difference.
