TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Dec 30, 2019

State Sen. Raumesh Akbari plans to revive legislation aimed at giving prisoners who commit murder as juveniles a chance for earlier release if they change their lives, the Daily Memphian reports. The Memphis Democrat’s legislation would enable juveniles convicted of murder to be eligible for parole after 25 years, instead of an automatic life sentence of 51 years, provided they meet certain requirements such as completing education courses and maintaining a good disciplinary record. In addition, the bill would direct the Parole Board to consider youth-related factors when determining eligibility for parole. Akbari introduced similar legislation in 2019 but it was not considered.