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 ...
didn't we just have news that todays yutes are maturing faster?...
I guess it pays to get your killing spree down younger nowadays...
What are we trying to protect? On the one hand we have a killer, on the other a destroyed victim and likely destroyed lives of his family.
So the blunt force of justice has to err on the side of the perpetrator. Take the perpetrator out forever. Avoid future victims. It’s the only solution. Even if the perpetrator is 14.
Agree 100%. If you kill an innocent with intent to do so, or with substantial certainty that your actions would result in their death, I don’t really see any reason for you not to face the full range of possible penalties, no matter your age or mental capacity. Knowledge + intent + act = your ass. What’s next for these freaks? Bringing back the “irresistible impulse” defense to murder?
Yes. You have demonstrated your intent at your tender age to be a worthless drag on society. If we keep you alive, you will only endanger your keepers. If we execute you, the demons that inhabit your body will find purchase elsewhere, and perhaps harm other innocents.
Ephesians 6:12
King James Version (KJV)
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
If they would just invoke extra late term abortion Deval would be on board. For Democrats, it’s all in the packaging, not the outcome.
As I am sure you will agree, thinking that the Republicans will do this is a huge assumption. I wouldn't bet on it.
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