People v. Poole

State constitutions often provide different and broader protection than the federal constitution. Michigan v. Poole is one of many cases where the MacArthur Justice Center is working to make the difference matter.

John Antonio Poole was sentenced to a mandatory sentence of life without parole. Although he was only 18 at the time he committed the crime, the judge had no discretion to impose a lower sentence, even a life sentence with the possibility of parole. While the U.S. Supreme Court has prohibited mandatory life sentences for juvenile defendants, it has not decided whether the same protection applies to very young adults such as Mr. Poole.

Whereas the federal Eighth Amendment prohibits only “cruel and unusual” punishment, Michigan’s constitution prohibits courts from meting out any punishment that is “cruel or unusual.” We filed an amicus brief in the Michigan Supreme Court, arguing that Mr. Poole an automatic life sentence for a young adult is “cruel” and therefore illegal under Michigan’s Constitution.