DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit Police Commissioner Daryl Woods joined with prison reform advocates to urge lawmakers to stop stalling the vote on a group of bills that would give longtime prisoners a "second look."
The bills referred to as the Second Look Act still need a vote and approval in the Michigan House and Senate before heading to the governor's desk. A timeline on when that could happen has not been shared.
Woods feels the time is now, with new leadership set to take over in 2025.
VIDEO: Detroit leaders hold press conference on Second Look Sentencing Act
"I urge the Democratic leadership to step up today and make this happen," Woods said at the press conference.
Woods served 29 years in prison and was released in 2019.
If the bills pass, those serving sentenced over 20 years would have the chance to petition the court for a reassessment of their sentence. Their release would depend on a variety of factors like behavior behind bars, circumstances of the offense and input from prosecutors and victims.
"This is just compassion and I'm not saying that people don't deserve to be punished. Absolutely, and people are living out their punishment, but should we just condemn people and just throw them away? I say not," Woods said.
Woods also hopes the proposed law would address the prison overcrowding and understaffing that is currently plaguing Michigan’s correctional system.
"This is not an automatic release. It's about accountability, transformation and fairness," Woods said.
The second chance is what LaToya Mack is hoping for for family friend, 55-year-old Jason Armour, who was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in 1992 for first -degree murder.
"He was with a group of people. There was one gun shot fired and everyone that was present was charged with the exact same crime," Mack said.
While in prison, Mack says Armour has been employeed as a braille transcriber with the Michigan Braille Transcribing Fund. He also has certifications from the United States Library of Congress for his proficiency in Braille Transcribing Literature and Mathematics/Geometry for the visually impaired.
"He has no trouble, no infractions on his prison record. This was a first-time offense," Mack said.
Armour found out about his story through his grandmother who attends the same church. They shared stories and eventually, she decided to advocate on his behalf.
But some victims like Nicole Beverly, a domestic violence survivor, believe there should be exceptions.
"While I absolutely agree that our criminal justice system needs reform and revamping and many individuals are serving sentencing terms for non-violent crimes that are unjust, the answer is not to blindly open the floodgates for all without stricter criteria for violent offenders, especially repeat offenders. I am gravely concerned about the impact this will have on victims in our state and the fact that they will lose the truth in sentencing they were promised by a judge and or jury to plan their lives by. This legislation will re-traumatize many victims unfairly including myself and my children," Beverly said.
Woods and other advocates have said the legislation would not be a blanket get-out-of-jail free card. However, Rep. Graham Filler, says no Republicans are planning to support the legislation.
"I would actually say it's the most damaging legislation that has went though my criminal justice committee in two years in the House here. We're talking murder, we're talking about carjacking, we're talking about domestic violence and all of sudden, these individuals get a second bite at the apple 20 years after the incident, felony after the conviction. Not only are we dropping thousand and thousands of new hearings on the judiciary system, but we're re-victimizing people who have already been through something horrendous," Filler said.
"What I really don’t like is that the bills are trying to be jammed during lame duck instead of work closely putting a bipartisan way through the process. Instead, we got subs at the last second. They’re not supported by law enforcement, they’re not supported by the victim community and so I’m not going to stand for those bills.”
