Sentencing Reconsideration Act (S 930)

Lengthy prison sentences are often counter-productive, extremely expensive to the taxpaying public, harmful to families, and undermine rehabilitation. As such, we supported legislation which would allow individuals serving long sentences to request reconsideration and reduction of their sentence after serving ten years. Imposing extraordinarily long sentences robs individuals of rehabilitattive hope, one of the purported goals of incarceration. There is also a clear discriminatory impact to lengthy sentencing. For example, according to a report from The Sentencing Project, an incredible 59% of the people at the ACI serving life sentences are Black or Latino. It is important to emphasize that this bill leaves to the full discretion of the court whether to consider a reduction of sentence based on an examination of a variety of factors, including input from the victim. But to completely close the door on any opportunity whatsoever for parole -- even after a person has served 30, 40, or 50 years in prison -- is short-sighted, extremely cruel, and wasteful.