April 22nd 4:57 pm |
Val Van Brocklin
In 2020, the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission recommended a second look law providing that juveniles sentenced for crimes they committed when they were less than 18 be eligible for a parole hearing after serving 15 years. On March 29, Sen. Tom Begich introduced the recommended law as Senate Bill 114. Some context is helpful.
In the 1980s and 90s, America launched a tough-on-crime era. As a prosecutor in Alaska during those decades, I advanced it. It led to mass incarceration that overfilled our prisons. With 4.4% of the global population, America has nearly 25% of the world s prisoners - a rate four to seven times higher than other Western nations.
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