Ruling Favors Mich. Inmates Serving Life

Ruling Favors Mich. Inmates Serving Life

Friday October 26, 2007 11:01 PM

By DAVID EGGERT

Associated Press Writer

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - The constitutional rights of more
than 1,000 inmates serving life sentences in Michigan
prisons have been violated ever since parole policies
were toughened in the 1990s, a federal judge has ruled.

U.S. District Judge Marianne Battani said the cumulative
effect of the parole changes violates the Constitution's
ban on laws being applied retroactively.

She released her decision this week but has yet to decide
what her ruling means for 1,000 to 1,200 Michigan prisoners
sentenced before 1992 to life in prison with the possibility
of parole.

Since the early 1990s, the Michigan Parole Board has been
less willing to release prisoners sentenced to life with the
possibility of parole, adopting a “life means life” policy.

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