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Prison terms for juvenile
killers
"There's a feeling that 35 years is a little on the harsher side,
but we can understand where that decision is coming from."
MBA Chief Legal Counsel Martin W.
Healy, The Lowell Sun, Feb. 1, 2014
A recent bipartisan bill, filed in Massachusetts in January,
would require juveniles convicted of first-degree murder to serve
at least 35 years before being eligible for parole. Under current
law, juveniles convicted of first-degree murder can qualify for
parole after serving 15 to 25 years. The U.S. Supreme Court has
also ruled life sentences without parole are unconstitutional for
young offenders. The MBA is studying the proposed bill before
making a recommendation to support or oppose it.