Ma'Lik Richmond's lawyer Walter Madison is attempting to prove that his client's 16-year-old brain is not developed enough for him to have to suffer for his actions.
Ma'Lik Richmond -- one of the high school football players convicted of rape in Steubenville, Ohio -- shouldn't be forced to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life because he's only 16 ... and therefor doesn't have a fully developed brain ... this according to Richmond's lawyer.
Walter Madison went on "Piers Morgan" last night and told the CNN host why he plans to appeal the case -- in which Richmond was sentenced to at least one year in juvenile prison for raping a 16-year-old girl with his fingers at a high school party.
As part of the punishment, Richmond will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life ... something Madison says is completely unfair.
