Earlier this month, the Michigan Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in People v. Czarnecki and People v. Taylor, holding that mandatory life without parole (LWOP) sentences for people who were 19 or 20 at the time of the offense are unconstitutional—and that this decision applies retroactively.
Combined with the People v. Poole ruling (affirming resentencing rights for 18-year-olds sentenced to mandatory LWOP), this means that over 800 individuals are now entitled to resentencing under Michigan law.
WHAT’S NEXT: Key Information from SADO
- SADO has identified all 582 impacted individuals from the Czarnecki and Taylor rulings.
- An informational sheet is being sent to each person via MDOC (likely through JPay).
- A detailed letter outlining next steps and including the full court opinion will follow shortly.
- Attorneys will be appointed. If they don’t have one yet, they will.
- Please do not file anything on your own. It’s best for them to wait for the appointed attorney to guide the process.
- Be patient. This is a large group, and many have been waiting for decades—help is coming.
- Prepare for success. Stay misconduct-free, participate in programming, and take care of your health.
We will continue to share updates and resources as this process unfolds.