Posted on 01/27/2013 7:49:07 PM PST by massmike
As part of an overhaul of the juvenile justice system, Gov. Deval Patrick plans to file legislation Monday to prohibit mandatory life sentences without parole for youthful offenders convicted of first degree murder. The proposal is a response to the Supreme Court decision over the summer that ruled such mandatory sentences violate the Constitution’s Eight Amendment restricting cruel and unusual punishment.
Patrick is also proposing to extend the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Jourt and the Department of Youth Services to 18-year-olds, and would eliminate the Superior Court and District Court’s jurisdiction over 17-year-olds.
The bill would eliminate the state’s mandatory life without parole sentences for juveniles aged 14-18 convicted of first-degree murder. Judges could either sentence those offenders to life with parole eligibility in 15 to 25 years, or life without parole after considering factors such as a defendant’s maturity, prospects for rehabilitation, and whether the youth acted alone.
The legislation also proposes to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 17 to 18, and to require prosecutors to declare during or before the pretrial conference if they intend to seek a sentence of life without parole for a juvenile accused of first degree murder.
Youth aged 14 to 18 and convicted of second-degree murder would be sentenced to life and become eligible for parole after 15 years, under Patrick’s proposal.
By reforming the sentencing laws and expanding the reach of the Department of Youth Services and the Juvenile Court to 18-year-olds, the administration says it is attempting to provide youth with “age-appropriate resources for rehabilitation.”
To that end, the bill would also allow juvenile delinquents to voluntarily accept DYS post-discharge services until they turn 21 and youthful offenders could voluntarily receive the same services until they turn 23.
(Excerpt) Read more at patriotledger.com ...
and they wonder why people feel a need to protect themselves
Well, well. To many youthful murderers who look like they could have been the son of Presidink Obama, like Trayvon.
Just shoot them in self defence everyone. Thats not cruel and unusual punishment.
My problem is the age range. The gap between 14 and 18 is simply huge. I agree that mandatory life sentences are not appropriate for 14 year olds, but cannot extend that to someone on the cusp of 18.
Don’t get too upset, the last time they had laws like that, they gave us Willie Horton.
...this will backfire, as long as the Republicans have the GONADS to call them out on it, as Lee Atwater did in 1992.
Sorry there are some very sick individuals out there, people so broken or warped that they can never safely be allowed out in society. A blanket ban on life sentences for all youthful( how you can apply such a happy appellation to some of these animals is beyond me) offenders is just wrong!
“I agree that mandatory life sentences are not appropriate for 14 year olds”
It depends...I know that when I was 14, I had NO PROBLEM understanding what it meant to kill a person. I doubt these kids have a problem with that concept either. The question is whether the worst of them can be reformed. I don’t think it’s possible, I think they’re no different than a bear that’s tasted human flesh - you must kill it (or keep it in jail, in this case).
We’re not talking about a lot of kids...or a simple mistake, we’re talking brutal murderers.
Sheeeeet...I was hoping they would be executed. In a clear case of outright murder the murderer should be tried and executed no matter what the age. I realize this is a no-go in a liberal state like Massachusetts which has little compassion or justice in store for the crime victim
I don’t believe in reforming murderers. I believe in giving them what they gave their victim
My problem is the age range. The gap between 14 and 18 is simply huge. I agree that mandatory life sentences are not appropriate for 14 year olds, but cannot extend that to someone on the cusp of 18.
________________________________________
Sociopathic killers are ‘just getting warmed up’ for a lifetime of destroying the lives of others for pleasure if jailed for murder in their youth. The problem for me is that both ‘normal’ kids and sociopaths are lumped in together and banning life in prison means that jail hardened sociopaths ‘get’ to revenge themselves on society when they get out if life sentences are banned.
AFTER REVIEWING SOME REPLYS HERE IT’S NO WONDER MASS IS SCREWED UP....WATCH YOUR MURDER RATE GO UP
Democrats and RINOS
GOD DENIERS AND CONGENITAL LIARS
ARE REDISTRIBUTE WEALTH INCITERS
FOR FIRST YOUR MONEY THEN YOUR GUNS
AND BE DEFENSELESS WHEN CROOKS COME
Conservatives and supporters of the 2nd amendment the Obama regime is using the 2nd amendment argument to blame gun owners for its inability to deal with the hundreds of gangland murders and shootings commited in areas under their solid control using illegally obtained firearms.
Obama’s solution to those inner city problems is to remove those rights provided by the constitution to have and bear arms from all US citizens before any search an seizure begins in those troublesome areas which by the way will never happen.
But none of those 23 so called “reforms” and unconstitutional efforts being edicted by who some call an emperor do not deal with the following issues briefly outlined below let alone insane shooters using stolen weapons. .
They won’t because instead of creating a uniformly democratic society where every citizen has an equal voice no matter what their race or ethnicity.
Obama’s policies have divided races and ethnic groups gerrymandering congressional districts where much of this criminal activity occurs.
GOPES {G-overment O-f (the) P-eople (republican party) E-lite-S} see this issue as a 3rd rail because most of it is black on black or illegal vs illegal (Mexican) activity .
GOPES are also afraid to say that policy also increased racial tension which has resited in deaths. But again GOPES accept this because of the influence of mainline socialist media which would be accusing them of “racism” if they dare to question it.
The purpose of all this hype on guns is to keep the right and conservatives focused on what the Demo-Coms describe as issues through their propaganda arm known as the MSM (mainline socialist media) not on the problems created by the “Libs” on their road of good intentions or the socialist/fascists/communists successors to comtrol over todays Democrat party;
Which is the cost ,waste, and corruption of this administration which had led to a 16 trillion dollar deficit.
Not one word addresses or offers a solution about the hundreds of gangland murders and shootings using illegaly obtained mostly handguns and revolvers .
Perpetuating the general populations ignorance and using code words like “assault rifles” they’re demonizing single shot per trigger pull semi automatic rifles, used for small game hunting or target practice. That are legal in every state but made to look like their military counterpart..
Military AR’s since Viet Nam and a DOD decision ARs are really medium caliber (22.3) machine guns designed to wound not necessarilly kill which is why they are automatic and fire as many rounds that are in its magazine once the trigger is kept in the pulled position.
ARs replace quick kill 30 caliber semi automatic (single shot) M-1, Springfield rifles and carbines used during WWII and Korea and approved in most states for use in big game hunting.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2977901/posts NY Post pix of shooter using handgun
Obama certainly can’t critique a system created by his ilk . Ignored in his 23 edicts is that when once caught, perps get set free with lenient sentencing from “liberal” judges or sob sister plea bargain prosecution (which Obama supports for when a Illinois state senator while introducing legislation to sentence any 15 year old as an adult,(opps they could be fatherless) Obama voted “absent” with others on that roll call vote. But that leniency is promoted by the MSM,The New York Times CNN, NBC and,ABC. There’s certainly no criticism of “no snitch” mentality partcularly in areas where these shootings are rampant.
It would be nice at these rallys if conservatives would point these facts out to Obamas adoring public.
The unintended consequence of this typical, commie lib !@#!$ up is, need somebody bumped off? Send the gangsta wannabe kid.
Maybe Patrick wants us to be like Norway where the mass murderer of 70 people just received a 21 year sentence.
Is letting a feral out before the age of 30 for a murder really a good idea? I think most of us know the answer.
Good Job Pat.
Crack down on the lawful citizens and lighten up on the criminals.
What we escape here in the US is that in Africa, there are seasoned killers at age 12-14. We are not far from that now, in the inner cities.
They should never get out of prison. Whether society chooses to end their young lives I will defer to the States...
If someone comes to the US and was a Colonel or General in Africa, it was because they killed many people. Right or wrong, they were stone killers.
And these ass clowns demand law abiding people disarm themselves because the law-abiding are “dangerous”.
Can’t someone shove their hypocritical words back down their throats? Anyone?
If law abiding can’t have equal levels of force the murderers have, or the government has, because murder is so awful and evil, why ban life without parole for anyone? Young or not, they freaking MURDERED someone! They ended someone else’s life early and it can’t be reversed.
Libtards are such idiots and they show how much they actually hate people. They bend over backwards for the proven scum of the world, yet view the law-abiding as the real problem that must be clamped down on. It is gut wrenching sickening.
Deval just be proctin’ the Bruthas.
Deval just be protecting the Bruthas.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
