32 YEARS - TIME SERVED?

This petition is for the recommendation of parole for Michael Whittlesey in the State of Maryland after serving 32 years for the murder of his friend, Jamie Griffin, while in high school.

The pararmount concerns in most decisions such as this is the protection of the community and Mr. Whittlesey. One should review Michael's rehabilitative strides that he has taken and will contine to take. One of the best indicators of an inmates's likelihood or recidivism is their institutional progress and adjustment.

Mr. Whittlesey has been incarcerated for almost 32 years. Thoughout his confinement he has made noteworthy institutional progress and has not received an infraction in 19 years. Michael has grown to accept responsibility for his actions and has been a model inmate.

The following are summary excerpts from his Judge at a re-sentencing hearing: It is unlikely that Michael will engage in further criminal activity that would constitute a continuing threat to society. Over the years of his incarceration Michael has made some significant changes. The overwhelming sense of remorse and shame he has felt for committing such an act has been a major force in changing his attitude and behavior. It is the difference in the way Michael has approached Life. Life in again the worst environment in which somebody can live. His achievements academically are impressive, his job performance at the jobs that he can do within the institiution were noteworthy.

Mr. Whittlesey is a different person. The reasoning for this is based upon the years that Michael has been incarcerated in the most dangerous and horrendous environment a human being can live. Each day you must think about whether you are going to make it through the day. In that environment, Michael has not one violent act in a system that records almost everything. In addition, Michael has no prior history of violent acts, no criminal record at all, and no juvenile record. So, but for the events of the murder, Mr. Whittlesey has not been involved in criminal activity. That certainly is a barometer that anyone should look at in determining whether he is a continuing threat. Michael has not even been a threat in the worst society in which one can live. (Official Reporter's Transcript, Jan.14, 1997, Circuit Court for Baltimore County, Maryland, Case
#90-CR-2122)

Secretly tape recorded conversations revealed that Michael and Jamie were using LSD during the day in question. It is undisputed that Michael Whittlesey is guilty of causing the death of Jamie Griffin in 1982. Jamie was a fantastic humanist and valued member to his community and society as a whole. But the evidence is also undisputed that Michael Whittlesey has served almost 32 years, is not a threat to society, and deserves a second chance.