Prison advocates, attorneys and state officials are gearing up to help the estimated 200 prisoners now eligible for parole since a landmark decision last week by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court raised the minimum age to 21 before people could be sentenced to life without parole.
The Committee for Public Counsel Services, the state’s public defender agency, says it is working with the Parole Board to identify prisoners who are newly eligible to be considered for release as the agency prepares at least 40 attorneys to represent them.
That’s not what happened, did you not read the article? They raised the age cutoff from 18 to 21, meaning the only people covered by the decision were actual adults at the time, not juveniles tried as adults.
Yes, but I think my general sentiment stands. Sentencing an 18 year old to life? Sentencing a 17 year old as an adult? Both are crazy