Life without parole. If it sounds unpleasant, downright harsh, it\'s supposed to. In Michigan, where the death penalty was banned in 1846, the mandatory punishment for a first-degree murder conviction is life in prison without the possibility of parole No matter how old one is, that\'s a long time because there is no hope for release, unless a governor is willing to risk political backlash and commute the sentence - an almost impossible hope. But for teenagers who are not yet considered adults, is life in prison without parole a reasonable punishment? Oakland County \'s history over the past four decades is fairly rich on this issue. One state senator, citing a study that found Michigan to be among the top states with such offenders, is pushing a bill that would ban life-without-parole sentences for offenders under age 18. Right now, a 17-year-old is an adult in the eyes of Michigan \'s criminal code. State Sen. Liz Brater, D-Ann Arbor, said young offenders deserve consideration for a second chance, not a guaranteed way out of prison, and she would do that by banning life-without-parole sentences for offenders under 18. Brater cited a recent Wayne State University poll that showed the public favors not locking young murderers away forever, as 72 percent of those polled believed violent offenders under 18 are strong candidates for rehabilitation.