Posted on 09/30/2012 2:57:16 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
(Reuters) - California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law on Sunday a measure that grants juvenile offenders sentenced to life in prison without parole the chance to petition for their release after serving 25 years.
Roughly 300 inmates in California's prison system have been sentenced to a lifetime behind bars for offenses committed as teenagers, according to the bill's sponsor, state Senator Leland Yee, a Democrat from San Francisco.
Those inmates will now be eligible for parole after serving at least 25 years in prison.
The courts can review their cases after 15 years in prison and lower their sentence to 25 years to life if the juvenile offenders demonstrate remorse and work towards rehabilitation.
"The governor's signature ... is emotional for both the supporters and the opposition, but I am proud that today California said we believe all kids, even those we had given up on in the past, are deserving of a second chance," Yee said in a statement.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
I am sure their victims will rise and be alive and well again because the dead deserve a second chance at life, right? (The only reason I know of for juvenile LWOP is murder)
Hey, Bownie, let one of those little predators kill YOUR wife and then talk to us about “second chances.”
Jurors should know this going in when they set the punishment phase. Double life and convicted of ALL charges not just the easiest to try.
This makes sense because after 25yrs the murder vics come back to life too no?
As the article says, these are near adults who have committed first degree murder of a particularly heinous kind. Not little toddlers who made innocent mistakes.
I think that, if this law goes through, Jerry Brown should be compelled to have a tent city in his back yard to house these released criminals.
In fact, I’ve always thought that those who release violent criminals of this kind should put their money where their mouths are by taking in the criminals they release on society. Let them take the risks.
Will their victims get a second chance?
Will they be better citizens as a result of getting their freedom, or just go out an practice new skills learned from fellow inmates?
And of course, vote democrat.
Second chance for what? Having spent 25 or more years in prison then what are they qualified to do on the outside?
They will be career criminals as soon as they hit the streets, and will kill again.
Even though SCOTUS disagrees, this is another good reason for the death penalty.
I hope someone keeps track of who the governor is robbing, raping and murdering with this gesture of “good will” towards imprisioned gang members. Maybe he’s beefing up his homies for the “revolution.”
The lefties want an American arab spring in a bad way. This is their only hope in bullying over the Tea Party blockade in the House and on the Internet. They had such high hopes dashed by the REAL domestic terorists (according to DHS and DOD) - the Tea Party.
Two more reasons why the death penalty should be applied for murder:
"inmates will now be eligible for parole after serving at least 25 years in prison."
The courts can review their cases after 15 years in prison and lower their sentence
Always a way out. Dam enablers. The knowledge of what is right and wrong is perceived as early as 4 years old. Fry the stupid bas-tards.
They need to make it like the review of plays in the NFL, something these jagoffs would understand. You choose review, and lose, you get penalized another 10 years.
The great virtue of the death penalty, even when it’s not actually executed, is that it keeps the subjects in prison appealing their sentences, preventing this kind of nonsense.
Near adult juvenile offenders are already being used as contract murderers by Mexican gangs because they're immune to the death penalty. Imagine what happens when they discover that LWOP really means 15-20 years and a get-out-of-jail-free card.
Thanks Kali leftists, for winning a family argument for me that's been running nearly 20 years. Is there anything so stupid that it won't become law in this incredibly depraved, decaying and dim-witted State?
“the bill’s sponsor, state Senator Leland Yee, a Democrat from San Francisco.”
Oh, *goody*. This is the twit who got his panties in a wad about Sarah Palin getting paid to speak at some school in California.
I don’t suppose it’s too much to ask Senator Lee if he realizes that by the time 25 years has passed, said juvenile isn’t a juvenile anymore? As in, there’s no longer a kid to give a ‘second chance’ to? Or point out to the esteemed Senator that crimes that warrant a life sentence are pretty the most heinous, vicious, and violent actions imaginable? You don’t get life for underage drinking or shoplifting, dude.
The article said it all-the supporters of this bill are “emotional” that it passed-the emotion they’re feeling is their own smug sense of moral superiority and self “esteem” for being such good people.
Some poor schlub will have to be the one who bears the real consequences of this. As you say, no one, especially California, puts juveniles away with life without parole for vandalism or even carjacking. Whatever they’re there for had to be an especially heinous murder. Monsters like that will do it again, they have no empathy for others.
My son, of excellent conservative credentials otherwise, insists that LWOP is a better alternative to the death penalty, and for years I’ve been warning him that LWOP will never really mean no parole: we’ll be asked to show pity on juvenile offenders because they deserve a “second chance,” and we’ll be asked to show pity on septuagenarians because “they’re old men now, who can’t harm anyone.”
Near adult juvenile offenders are already being used as contract murderers by Mexican gangs because they’re immune to the death penalty. Imagine what happens when they discover that LWOP really means 15-20 years and a get-out-of-jail-free card.
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No it is not a better alternative. it turns citiens into slaves supporting these death penalty candidates.
The first duty of local government is to protect law abiding citizens from feral humans. Everything else is secondary. Prison is not for rehab, it is to remove a violent threat from civil society. A barbarian went into prison and if released before death, a barbarian will likely leave. No thanks. Let ‘em bunk with the governor.
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