America delivers harsher criminal punishments than almost any other country. That harshness can be seen in our prison sentences, which are — on average — longer in comparison to other countries. 

Part of Michigan’s legal system is trying to change that. At the beginning of April, the Michigan Supreme Court banned mandatory life sentences for 19 and 20-year-olds convicted of murder.

To discuss this, Rick Speck joined The Metro. He’s the leadership programs coordinator for JustLeadershipUSA, an organization advocating for criminal justice reform from people who’ve been directly impacted by the criminal justice system. 

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