Michigan’s Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced on Tuesday that she is granting clemency to four prisoners, which will make them eligible for parole consideration immediately.
The inmates she granted clemency to served time for firearms possession, drug possession, and selling drugs. Three of them have been in prison for over twenty years, while the fourth has been behind bars for sixteen years, according to Fox News.
Whitmer released a statement saying that she came to her decision to grant clemency by looking over the prisoners’ clemency applications as well as taking into consideration recommendations from the Michigan Parole Board.
“As a former prosecutor, I recognize how critical it is to take steps toward a smarter and more equitable justice system,” Whitmer said. “Over the last two years, we’ve worked with leaders on both sides of the aisle to make tremendous progress to give people a second chance, from reforming civil asset forfeiture to becoming a national leader on expungement.
“These commutations offer a second chance to four individuals who have accepted responsibility and paid their debts to society and whose sentences span decades for non-violent offenses,” she continued. “We still have a lot of work to do, but today is a step in the right direction, and I’m confident that Michigan can continue to be a national leader in smart justice.”
One of the inmates that was granted clemency was Michael Thompson, 69, whose case had garnered the attention of celebrities due to him being hit with a weapons charge despite not carrying any firearms when he was arrested in 1994 on drug charges. Many of the firearms listed in his case were actually just antique collectibles that he had been keeping in a locked safe.
Whitmer’s decision means that the parole board will vote whether to grant a four-year parole to each prisoner. If they do decide to grant parole, the inmates will be held for 28 additional days while the parole board notifies the judge, prosecutor and any victims involved in the cases. A spokesman for Michigan’s Department of Corrections said that all four of the men will likely be released late in January or early February.
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