Communications

“The new policy does mandate that officers consider age-related factors, like physical build, perceived age and emotional state..."

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[S.B. 256] accomplishes two things: it creates guidelines based on research and science to assist judges in sentencing youth under 18; and it provides youths who are or will be convicted and given a de facto life sentence the chance to work toward a meaningful opportunity for parole.

Ligon, now 83 years old, walked out of Pennsylvania’s State Correctional Institution Phoenix on Thursday after serving nearly 68 years in prison.

“Across offense categories, cases involving black youth were more likely than cases involving other race groups to be waived in 2018.”