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.”
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Question of the Day By HOLLY RAMER - Associated Press - Wednesday, March 10, 2021
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - 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.
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
Maryland General Assembly considers a bill to end life sentences for juveniles
By Natalie Rubino
Maryland General Assembly considers a bill to end life sentences for juveniles
A bill that would end life sentences in prison for juveniles is making its way through the Maryland House and Senate.
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - A bill that would end life sentences in prison for juveniles is making its way through the Maryland House and Senate.
The Juvenile Restoration Act would end life sentences without parole for children under 18 who’ve committed violent crimes. It would also make anyone currently serving a life sentence for more than 20 years eligible for a resentencing from a judge, where they will have to prove they’ve turned their life around.
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.