Bill > HB1620

This bill modifies sentencing provisions for individuals who were under nineteen years of age at the time of committing first-degree murder, raising the age threshold from eighteen to nineteen. The bill allows individuals sentenced to life without parole before August 28, 2016, who were under nineteen at the time of their offense, to petition the parole board for sentence review after serving twenty-five years. For those sentenced on or after August 28, 2016, the bill permits petitions for sentence review after serving twenty-five and thirty-five years, respectively. When reviewing such cases, the parole board must consider factors like rehabilitation efforts, personal growth, institutional record, and current risk to society. The bill also changes sentencing options, replacing mandatory life without parole for juveniles with either life imprisonment with parole eligibility or a prison term of thirty to forty years. During sentencing, judges must consider mitigating factors related to the defendant's youth, such as age, maturity, mental and emotional development, family environment, and potential for rehabilitation. For a life without parole sentence, the state must file a specific notice and prove additional aggravating circumstances through a two-stage trial process, ensuring more nuanced consideration of juvenile offenders' cases.

https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1620&year=2026&code=R