HB15-1292 Summary

• Court must sentence persons convicted as adults for class 1 felonies committed while juveniles (offenses on or after July 1, 2015) to either 24-48 years imprisonment with mandatory 10-year parole or life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 20 years.

• Persons who received mandatory life sentences without parole for class 1 felonies committed between July 1, 1990 and July 1, 2006 may petition for resentencing under the new sentencing guidelines.

• Court must conduct sentencing hearing and consider 10 specified factors including victim impact, offense circumstances, offender age and maturity, mental health, family environment, criminal history, and rehabilitation potential.

• Persons sentenced to 24-48 year determinate sentences become eligible for parole after serving 75 percent of sentence; those sentenced to life become eligible for parole after serving 20 years.

• Responds to U.S. Supreme Court's Miller v. Alabama decision holding mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles violate the Eighth Amendment.