A mother in Detroit holds a photograph of her son, now a middle-aged man, who has spent more of his life behind bars than in his community. Sentenced when he was just 17, he has grown up in Michigan’s prison system, caught in a cycle of punishment that has no end in sight. Tuesday morning, families like hers gather at the Michigan State Capitol, calling for a system rooted in fairness and compassion. They are seeking reforms and they are demanding a transformation in the way Michigan approaches sentencing.
People from every part of Michigan converged on Lansing and called on House Speaker Joe Tate and Senate Leader Winnie Brinks to use their power to make Michigan prisons safer for staff and those incarcerated by getting the Second Look Sentencing Act to the finish line. Advocates rallied outside the State Capitol and met with elected officials to educate them on how Second Look will allow judges and parole boards to use a rigorous process to reduce prison overcrowding to stem the crisis of understaffing and dangerous conditions. Second Look would also make for significant tax dollar savings and help the families of corrections officers and those incarcerated.
Michigan’s prison system is one of the harshest in the nation. The state ranks fifth in the country for life sentences, and the impact on Black Michiganders is staggering. More than 40% of people incarcerated in Michigan prisons are over 60, and many of them will likely spend their final days behind bars. With the fifth-highest rate of life sentences nationwide, Michigan’s prison population tells a stark story about the state’s reliance on long-term incarceration. The numbers reveal the depth of Michigan’s sentencing problem: over half of Michigan’s prison population is Black, yet Black people account for just 14% of the state’s total population. For those who were young when they were sentenced, 65% are Black. It’s no secret that this system has failed but it has indisputably harmed Black communities.
Tuesday’s rally centers on the Second Look Sentencing Act, a bill that offers a new path for Michigan’s incarcerated. Supported by over 76% of Michigan voters, this act would give people who have served at least 20 years a chance to petition for a reduced sentence, so long as they are no longer considered a risk to public safety. The bill’s goal is to offer a lifeline to those who have transformed over time and to ease the overcrowded, under-resourced prison system.
“I came to Lansing today as a formerly incarcerated person who has turned my life around to tell our elected leaders that Second Look legislation would benefit dangerously overworked prison staff and those like me, who are still incarcerated though they can be safely reunited with their families,” said Ronnie Waters of Safe and Just Michigan. “The policy would give the sentencing judge the chance to take a ‘second look’ at the record of the person they incarcerated if that person has served 20 years or more. That group of individuals in Michigan prisons includes a lot of seniors and sick people. The judge could decide if the person could go before a parole board to be considered for returning home. This is the best option for relieving the crisis in Michigan prisons, and we need Senate Leader Brinks and House Speaker Tate to get this done.”
“I’m here to tell Leader Brinks and Speaker Tate from first-hand experience as a former corrections officer that safety for staff and those incarcerated go hand in hand,” said Shana Fisher, a former Michigan corrections officer. “Second Look is the best way to get those who’ve aged out of crime back to their families and to get care for the sick that’s both better and far less expensive than anything in prison. Folks can go to Secondlookmi.org to send messages to our elected officials — to say we need to reduce the overcrowding and lower the cost of prisons.”
The over-sentencing of Black people in the United States is no new phenomenon. For decades, the system has disproportionately targeted Black communities, meting out harsher punishments and lengthier sentences for Black individuals compared to their white counterparts for similar offenses. This disparity isn’t just an old statistic in dusty criminal justice reports—it’s a reality that has roots in policies that punish Black bodies more severely, creating generational trauma that extends beyond prison walls. From Jim Crow to mass incarceration, America’s justice system has often been a tool for control and punishment rather than equity and redemption, especially when it comes to Black Americans.
Recognizing that this same injustice exists right in our backyard here in Michigan is chilling. Black Michiganders make up more than half of the state’s prison population despite being only a fraction of its total population, with young Black men overwhelmingly represented among those sentenced to decades-long terms. This isn’t a distant, abstract issue; it’s our reality. The system’s grip on Black lives isn’t just a national trend it is also happening right here, in Michigan’s neighborhoods, homes, and families. This disproportionate sentencing crisis shows how embedded racial disparities have become in our state, impacting not just individuals but entire communities and leaving a lasting mark on families who lose loved ones to sentences that never seem to end.
The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) is facing a staffing crisis that has left its prisons dangerously short-handed. With more than 1,000 correctional officer vacancies, some facilities are operating at less than 60% of their staffing needs. This shortage places both officers and incarcerated people at risk, and it limits access to rehabilitative programs. The Second Look Sentencing Act would offer a way to reduce the prison population safely, freeing up resources for better staffing and program support.
Lawmakers backing the Second Look Sentencing Act point to its widespread support. Representative Abraham Ayash, a sponsor of the bill, believes that Michigan’s communities will be safer when resources go toward rehabilitation, not punishment. Senator Stephanie Chang, another supporter, emphasizes that lengthy sentences have torn families apart without making Michigan any safer. Supporters also include Representative Jimmie Wilson Jr. and Senator Rosemary Bayer.
Former prison staff, faith leaders, families of those incarcerated, and victims of crime from all over the state attended the rally and met with lawmakers to press the case for Second Look to be made law.
“This rally shows that Second Look has support from all over Michigan,” said Chuck Warpehoski, project director, Second Look Michigan. “This policy also has bipartisan support that we think we can increase by letting elected officials know that we can save money and make families and communities more whole if we stop incarcerating people for way longer than the rest of the nation. It’s expensive to lock people away — about $34,000 to $48,000 per person per year. Add to that the recent, unsuccessful pay incentives to attract more staff and it’s clear we need a different solution. It’s time to do something more basic and end the overcrowding and, in the process, reduce the prison budget. House Speaker Tate and Senate Leader Brinks have a great opportunity to move Second Look to the finish line and make things safer for everyone.”
While some argue that longer sentences create a safer society, the data tells a different story. Research consistently shows that lengthy prison terms do not have a meaningful deterrent effect on crime. People age out of criminal behavior as they grow older, a well-documented trend that holds across studies. Most people who engage in criminal activity during their youth stop offending as they reach their late 30s. However, Michigan continues to spend billions on a prison system that holds people well past the age when they are likely to re-offend. This focus on punishment rather than rehabilitation costs Michigan taxpayers and diverts funds from education, mental health services, and community programs that could actually reduce crime.
The Black community in Michigan has carried the weight of these harsh sentencing policies for generations. The system has taken fathers away from their children, sons away from their mothers, and left whole communities without role models and support systems. The Second Look Sentencing Act offers a chance to change this legacy. It’s a bill that aligns with the values of justice, fairness, and transformation. This is why families, advocates, and community leaders are rallying today. They aren’t asking for leniency; they are asking for balance, for a system that recognizes people’s ability to change.
The financial argument for the Second Look Sentencing Act is also strong. Michigan’s prison system costs billions each year, with much of that spending going toward housing older individuals who are unlikely to re-offend. Studies show that investing in mental health services, job training, and community programs would yield a greater impact on public safety than spending on long-term incarceration. This bill could redirect resources toward these preventative measures, supporting community stability and reducing crime more effectively than lengthy sentences.
Organizers have coordinated a Digital Day of Action, encouraging supporters to share their stories and demands online using the hashtag #SECONDLOOKMI. This digital effort aims to amplify voices from across Michigan, allowing those who can’t attend in person to show their support and call on lawmakers to act.
For Michigan’s Black community, the push for Second Look legislation represents more than policy reform. It’s a chance to begin repairing the harms of a system that has disproportionately impacted Black families and neighborhoods. The Second Look Sentencing Act stands as a call to believe in people’s capacity for change. It’s a demand for Michigan to prioritize justice that values people, not just punishment.
As the crowd gathers at the Capitol, the hope is clear: Michigan has an opportunity to set a new standard for justice. By enacting the Second Look Sentencing Act, the state could start to restore trust and unity in communities that have borne the brunt of harsh sentencing practices. This rally marks the beginning of a journey toward a Michigan that values second chances, redemption, and compassion.
The Second Look Sentencing Act offers a chance to correct past injustices. It provides a pathway for individuals who have served their time to prove they’re ready to contribute positively to society. Families, advocates, and community members are here because they know that Michigan deserves a justice system that works for everyone. This Act is a step toward that vision, a Michigan where fairness guides policy and where communities, not just prisons, are built and sustained.
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