Advocates, Survivors, and Legislators Urge Passage of the Juvenile Restoration Act
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ANNAPOLIS, Md., Feb. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ The MD JJC is hosting a virtual press conference to discuss the significance of the Juvenile Restoration Act with respect to the racial disparities in Maryland and its necessity as a safe, effective, and reasonable repair of Maryland s criminal justice system.
WHEN: Monday, March 1
Senator Chris West, Maryland General Assembly
Aisha Braveboy, Esq., State s Attorney for Prince George s County
Philip Caroom, Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform, current Judge
Paul LaRuffa, Survivor and Advocate
Eddie Ellis, Incarcerated Children s Advocacy Network Coordinator
Credit: Getty Images/Hans Neleman
Sentencing juveniles to life without parole could essentially end in Maryland if legislation going through the General Assembly becomes law.
“No child should ever be told that they have no hope for the future but to die in prison. We are all of us more than the worst mistake we made as a teenager,” Del. Jazz Lewis, D-Prince George’s, the bill’s sponsor, told Capital News Service in an email last month.
The bill, HB0409, also known as the Juvenile Restoration Act, would do two main things: Allow courts to deviate from sentence minimums required by the law when dealing with children younger than 18, and no longer allow the sentencing of juveniles to life without the possibility of parole or release.