Arkansas House passes juvenile sentencing bill

LITTLE ROCK—The Arkansas House passed a bill Tuesday that would eliminate mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles.

The bill co-sponsored by Republican Rep. Rebecca Petty and GOP Sen. Missy Irvin passed House on an 86-1 vote. It's meant to bring Arkansas' sentencing standards in line with recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that say mandatory life sentences for juveniles are unconstitutional.

"The decision to run this piece of legislation was not easy due to my personal struggles with the justice system," Petty told the House. Petty is the mother of a young girl who was killed. The man convicted in her daughter's death is currently on death row on Arkansas.

The proposal would apply retroactively to juveniles sentenced for offenses committed before their 18th birthday. It would allow minors who were given life-without-parole sentences to be eligible for parole after serving 20 to 30 years in prison, depending on the charges.

Read more: http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/arkansas/story/2017/mar/15/arkansas-house-passes-juvenile-sentencing-bill/665556/