Sylvie Sherman
Research Mentor: Skylar Gillette
Mentor Department: American Friends Service Committee, NonUM
Author(s): Sylvie Sherman, Skylar Gillette
Session: Session 7 (4:00 PM – 4:50 PM)
Presentation Type: Poster 68
Abstract
Michigan’s criminal justice system serves lengthy sentences that pack incarcerated people into already overcrowded prisons. Defendants are sentenced to unjustly long sentences, including life without parole (LWOP). Receiving resentencing is only possible in cases of wrongful conviction or when Michigan’s Supreme Court overturns the legality of a conviction, both of which are rare. American Friends Service Committee (ASFC) in Ypsilanti aims to reform Michigan’s criminal justice system, with a long-term goal of ending LWOP, and directly supports individuals in Michigan’s only female prison, Women’s Huron Valley (WHV) Correctional Facility. Currently, AFSC is collaborating with several other organizations to create a Survivor’s Justice Act (SJA) bill, which seeks to address unfairly lengthy sentencing in Michigan by allowing defendants to submit evidence of abuse or coercion related to their conviction. Under the present system, these mitigating factors are not permitted to be considered by the court in mandatory LWOP cases and are often suppressed for lesser charges. Additionally, people who are actively incarcerated will have the opportunity for sentencing under SJA since they can now present evidence of how their survivorship is connected to their conviction. This bill will allow survivor’s experiences to be thoughtfully considered by courts in order to receive a just sentence. To communicate the significance of this legislation, we researched WHV inmates’ experiences such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and childhood trauma and how it related to their case. Data was collected from a database of court documents and personal statements of 316 women. We discovered that nearly 36% of these women have experienced a form of trauma. Findings will be shared with Michigan representatives to demonstrate how necessary this legislation is in order to bring justice to survivors and will inform public education on survivors’ experiences within and outside of the Michigan criminal justice system.
