SB 1008 establishes a process where all youth who are convicted in adult court have access to a “Second Look” hearing halfway through their sentence. At that hearing, a judge determines whether the youth has taken responsibility for their crime and been rehabilitated, which would allow the remainder of their sentence to be served under community-based supervision, rather than remaining incarcerated.
Recent Supreme Court decisions and behavioral and braindevelopment experts have found that young people possess a unique capacity for change. The vast majority of youth who commit crimes age out of criminal behavior and no longer pose a threat to society in adulthood. This new data highlights the need for sentencing policies that reflect the scientific and developmental realities of children.
