Proposal Could Change Sentences For Teenage Killers

The plan does not address teenagers currently serving life in prison without the possibility of parole.

  Some juveniles convicted of first-degree murder would no longer automatically be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility parole under a bill Gov. Deval Patrick plans to propose, according to the Boston Globe.  Under the proposal, some offenders would be eligible for parole hearings 15 years into their sentence, according to the Globe. Others who participated in murders but did not perform the actual murder could get hearings sooner. Parole boards, however, would still be able to keep the offender behind bars for life. Patrick planned to formally announce his proposal on Monday, Jan. 28.  The proposal comes in response to a recent U.S. Supreme Court case that ruled juveniles convicted of murder could not be automatically …

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