Give California's Youth Inmates a Second Chance
- av: Care2.com
- mottagare: California Legislators
In California, minors are eligible for a life-without-parole sentence if their crime is related to murder. Now, these inmates could get another chance.
A new bill, SB9, introduced by Senator Leeland Yee would, if passed, allow inmates to appeal their life-without-parole sentence after serving 15 years. They could get reassigned a sentence of 25 years with a possibility of parole only if they could prove their remorse, understanding of why their crime was wrong, and character rehabilitation.
Research has shown that the brains of kids and teenagers is not fully developed. This means that a teenager might get involved with a crime without truly understanding the ramifications of it. For instance, an estimated 45% of inmates convicted as youths were not convicted of murder, but aiding and abetting.
Don't let our youth waste away in prison for crimes that they did not fully understand the depth of. Tell California legislators to support SB9.
So far, close to 300 California inmates have been sentence to life-without-parole sentences for crimes committed as minors. This is an unfair sentence to assign someone who is not fully capable of understanding their actions.
All death is tragic, made more so when the perpetrator is a minor. Their future becomes compromised due to a devastatingly bad decision they made when their brain was not fully developed. While some youths may prove to be unable to reform in the long term, others are quite capable.
Senate Bill 9 would give inmates convicted as youths a chance to reform while in prison. With a 25 year minimum sentence they will still be punished for their crime, but instead of rotting away in prison, they will be able to develop and reform and become a functional part of society.
Not all inmates given life-without-parole sentences committed murder. And estimated 45% were convicted of aiding and abetting. Support the rehabilitation of California's youth by passing Senate Bill 9.
