Urge an End to Life Without Parole Sentences for Juveniles

By Anonymous -
On Tuesday, September 25th, the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee is going to amend language on juvenile lifers into Senate Bill 850 (http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2011&sind=0&body=S&type=B&BN=0850),a bill on cyberbullying.

That amendment will leave life without parole as an option for kids convicted of first degree homicide, with an alternative sentence of 35-to-life for 15-17 year olds and 25-to-life for 14 and under.

Life without parole should never be an option for kids with developing brains and the capacity for remorse and rehabilitation. The Pennsylvania Council of Churches is circulating a letter addressed to the PA general assembly urging a reconsideration of this practice. As the letter says, "the practice of condemning children to die in prison without any opportunity for a second chance ignores the potential that these young people have for genuine remorse and rehabilitation."

You can sign the letter to members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3QGYD3Z.

Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Council of Churches Advocacy Ministry

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