Eastern Wayne Today

The Michigan State Senate has approved a plan to eliminate the automatic waiving of 17-year-old offenders into the adult prison system, UpNorthLive reports.

The plan was backed by state Sens. Peter Lucido (R-Shelby) and Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit). Lucido has been a staunch supporter of the legislation.

“The prosecutor’s office always has the ability to go ahead and waive those individuals, like they’ve had all along,” he said. “We’ve always had the right to waive those individuals who commit the most heinous crimes – murder, rape, arson – those are lifetime offenses and, as a result, we’ve waived those individuals anyway.”

Michigan state Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit) | https://senatedems.com/

While branding senate passage of the legislation long overdue, Santana conceded that she found it uplifting to see lawmakers from across the aisle working together.

“I feel relieved in so many ways because it shows how bipartisanship works in the state of Michigan,” she said.

According to Department of Correction officials, there are currently 29 17-year-old inmates incarcerated in Michigan’s adult system. Michigan remains one of several states where 17-year-olds are automatically tried as adults.

Lucido stressed that the focus in the adult prison system is on “punitive impact rather than rehabilitative that’s more the focus in the juvenile system. Children learn from their adults. They are learning how to become better criminals at 17 when you put them behind bars.”

The Michigan House also recently passed similar legislation and plans now call for the bills to be sent to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk for final consideration.

In the past, Whitmer has expressed support for “the overall goal of the legislation.”