Cyntoia Brown & the “51-To-Life” Project: California

This is the fifth in a series of posts on the “51-To-Life” Project. In Tennessee, if a juvenile is convicted of first-degree murder, there are two sentencing options: (1) life without the possibility of parole; or (2) life with the possibility of parole, with that possibility only existing after the juvenile has been incarcerated for 51 years. In this post, I will explain why California treats juvenile homicide offenders better than Tennessee.

Back in October, California passed Senate Bill 394. In relevant part, it states that

(4) A person who was convicted of a controlling offense that was committed before the person had attained 18 years of age and for which the sentence is life without the possibility of parole shall be eligible for release on parole by the board during his or her 25th year of incarceration at a youth offender parole hearing, unless previously released or entitled to an earlier parole consideration hearing pursuant to other statutory provisions.

In other words, California banned life without parole sentences for juveniles; juvenile offenders given “life without parole” sentences are now eligible for parole starting at their 25th year of incarceration. Therefore, California treats juvenile homicide offenders better than Tennessee.

-CM