NY S00971

Requires mandatory life imprisonment without parole for defendants convicted of murdering a child under 13 years old, applying to murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree, and aggravated murder convictions

Removes judicial discretion in sentencing for child murder cases by eliminating the previous sentencing range of 15-25 years minimum for these specific offenses

Amends Section 70.00 of the New York Penal Law to expand the categories of crimes requiring life without parole sentences

Maintains existing exception allowing defendants who were 17 years old or younger at the time of the crime to receive an indeterminate sentence with a maximum term of life imprisonment instead of mandatory life without parole

Takes effect immediately upon passage