Bill > HB2116

This bill, titled "Juvenile Offenders; Sentencing," aims to eliminate the possibility of sentencing individuals under eighteen years old to life imprisonment without parole for crimes committed before their eighteenth birthday, aligning with international human rights standards and acknowledging the developmental differences between juveniles and adults, as recognized by the Supreme Court. Specifically, it amends existing laws to ensure that those convicted of first-degree murder or attempted murder who were under eighteen at the time of the offense will now receive a sentence of life imprisonment with the possibility of parole, while life imprisonment without parole will only apply to individuals eighteen years or older at the time of the offense. The bill also modifies provisions related to enhanced sentences for second-degree murder to exclude juveniles from this specific sentencing enhancement.