“Second Chance” for Juvenile Offenders (S 2205)

Research has shown that juveniles have an underdeveloped sense of responsibility, are more vulnerable to peer pressure, are less capable than adults of perceiving and comprehending long term consequences, and have much less control of their environment in ways that change with age, making the imposition of very long prison sentences on a person under 18 years of age, in our view, cruel and unusual punishment in violation of basic human rights standards. For these reasons, we strongly support legislation which would require that juveniles sentenced to long prison sentences as adults be reviewed by the parole board no later than fifteen years into their sentence, giving juveniles the opportunity to demonstrate how they have matured and changed since their childhood offense. This legislation died in committee.