This article was originally published in NC Prison News Today out of Nash Correctional Institution. It won first place for Best Short-Form Feature in the 2026 American Penal Press Contest.
Incarcerated people often dream about changes happening to the criminal justice system. But they probably never imagined their champion would come in the form of a beautifully optimistic woman battling cancer and her side-kick pooch, Frankie. Michelle Aab is an unsung hero whose fight for justice reform stems from her special blend of hard-nosed grit and inspiring optimism.
In June of 2024, the same month that she received the disheartening news that her breast cancer had re-metastasized around her spine and ribs, Aab started Sentenced Too Young (S2Y). The initiative’s purpose is to bring awareness of diminished capacity as it applies to a category of people known as emerging adults (18-24) to the rest of society. People might wonder why she, and northerner who has never lived in North Carolina, cares anything about the criminal justice system in this state, let alone wants to undertake the enormous task of trying to reform it.
Along with the plethora of other hats Aab wears, such as a self-described social media marketing guru, website designer, and paralegal, she also moderates a prison pen pal group on Facebook. On this platform, she met a man who is in a North Carolina prison. His story motivated her to get involved. Utilizing her skills, Aab created an online platform (sentencedtooyoung.org) where people can interact with a blog featuring transformation stories from people incarcerated as young adults. On the site, visitors can also read the scientific evidence that supports how neurocognitive development continues into a person’s mid-twenties, view the draft of S2Y’s legislative bill, and sign a petition.
The site’s blog is a unique and appealing concept that humanizes the individuals the bill is designed to affect, allowing the community to get to know them on a personal level and become invested in their change and growth. A platform providing such exposure for reformed individuals is rare. For many of the people whose stories are published, it is the only outlet they have to share their development with the outside world. Aab said this aspect of the site draws the most attention from viewers and drives a lot of the conversation on social media.
The bill proposed by S2Y, known as “Modifications for Developmentally Appropriate Sentencing,” is presented as a solution to the violation of emerging adults’ Eighth Amendment rights. In an effort to combat the over-sentencing of underdeveloped youth to the state’s harshest punishments, the bill is designed “designed to address youthful offenders who were convicted of crimes before the age of 25, have served at least 15 years of their sentence, and have exhibited genuine growth while proving themselves as highly potential members of society.”
According to Aab, “Society does not do enough to protect its youth.” Even when they have committed a crime, “they are biologically different from their fully matured counterparts.” In her mind, this disparity created by diminished capacity should lead to a level of diminished culpability that the courts need to consider. “This window of people is being neglected by the courts. Science has definitively proven that not only has the brain not fully developed by this point, but emerging adults statistically are more likely to outgrow their criminal ways.”
Fortunately, for those who would potentially be affected by such considerations, Aab is right. Landmark court cases in the past few decades have emphasized the necessity of considering the developmental stage of when a person commits a crime. Cases such as Atkins v. Virginia (2002), Roper v. Simmons (2005), Miller v. Alabama (2012), and most recently, Mattis v. Massachusetts (2024) have laid the groundwork on how the Eighth Amendment is meant to be interpreted in today’s society based on revelations made by scientific advancements that confirm a common-sense understanding of age and development. As society’s understanding of neurocognitive development grows, so too does its application into mainstream use. Legislatures and corporations have already applied this knowledge to certain aspects of everyday life, such as the age at which a person can drink or smoke (21), rent a car (25), or obtain certain types of insurance.
Sentence Too Young joins a short list of organizations striving to enlighten the public on the relevancy and applicability of this neuroscience, but few of those apply it to the criminal justice system. S2Y is fighting to fix that Injustice.
Aab used to box in her twenties and isn’t one to go down without a fight. Having knocked out cancer once already, and currently in the process of punching its lights out again, she plans to go toe-to-toe with the North Carolina legislature and the courts. Success has already been achieved in a handful of other states in recognizing the emerging adult category.
Aab feels that she is not just getting the conversation started in North Carolina, but plans to win the fight to get S2Y’s bill passed. Even if the gloves have to come off, this champion is willing to get into the ring and fight on behalf of the incarcerated and their loved ones.
