Until the Supreme Judicial Court ruling, Massachusetts was one of only 10 states mandating that 18- through 20-year-olds found guilty of first-degree murder be sentenced to life in prison with no way out.
Criminal – Right to counsel – Sleep | Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly masslawyersweekly.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from masslawyersweekly.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A murder defendant whose lawyer slept during parts of the trial was denied his right to counsel under the state constitution, entitling him to a new trial, the top court in Massachusetts has ruled.
Massachusetts will longer be allowed to sentence 18- to 20-year-olds to life in prison without parole, heeding science that says their brains are not fully developed.
BOSTON The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decided Thursday to increase the age limit for mandatory life without parole from 18 to 21 years old, marking a significant shift in the state's approach to sentencing young adults. The 4-3 ruling, which is seen as a victory for juvenile justice reform advocates, was based on the