ACLU Fights No-parole Law For Juveniles
ANN ARBOR (WWJ) - The ACLU is taking aim this week at a Michigan law that allows juvenile offenders to be locked up for life without parole.
ACLU Attorney Deborah La Belle says the case involves nine people imprisoned in their teens -- including Henry Hill, who has served 30 years for being part of a gang fight that resulted in a murder.
"But Henry, who was 16, and who everyone has testified had a fairly low IQ, got scared and he ran from the park," she said.
Under the law, LaBelle said no judge is able to review Hill's case, despite the fact that the victim's family says he has served enough time.
La Belle said in nearly half the cases, the teen locked up for life didn't actually kill anyone.
"The could have been a lookout... In many cases, an older co-defendant committed a homicide. Or, they could have been involved in an illegal felony when someone else committed a murder," she said.
An Ann Arbor judge will hear arguments in this case on Thursday.
