New Hampshire considers banning life without parole for juvenile
Modified: 3/10/2021 9:44:04 PM
CONCORD — New Hampshire juveniles convicted of homicide would no longer be sentenced to life in prison without parole under a bill before a House committee on Wednesday.
The bill would bring New Hampshire in line with 23 states and Washington, D.C., that already have enacted similar legislation, said Preston Shipp, senior policy counsel for the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth.
The list includes neighboring states like Vermont and Massachusetts, he said, but also conservative states across the country.
“Texas was one of the first states to abolish life without the possibility of parole for kids,” he told the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. “They basically said if a kid is too young to vote, too young to sign a contract, too young to serve on a jury or in the military, that person is too young to be condemned to die in prison.”