It's only been a few months since Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill ending life sentences without parole for people in Illinois who were under 21 when they were arrested. But groups that advocate for juvenile justice reform say the job isn't done.

Efforts to pass another bill making the change retroactive stalled in the Illinois Legislature - and in courtrooms, judges and juries are still often trapped by mandatory minimum sentences, even for young offenders.

Luis Klein, executive director of the Juvenile Justice Initiative in Illinois, said age should be a factor in sentencing - and there's research to back him up.

"Brain science does show that an 18-year-old has a lot more in common with a 16-year-old than with a 30-year-old," said Klein. "That leads to more compulsive behavior, less thinking of sort of long-term consequences."

A report out this summer by The Sentencing Project focuses on 'life without parole' sentencing of young people, under age 26. It finds in Illinois, 27% received this sentence in the years from 1995 to 2017.

Now, under the new law, anyone under age 21 sentenced to life without parole will be able to have their conviction reviewed after 40 years. The report recommends review after no more than 15 years.

The Sentencing Project report, called "Left to Die in Prison," says most life sentences without parole are for murder convictions - and mass shootings involving school classmates have become all too common.

Klein said steering young people away from violence is a community effort.

"This violence that we're talking about, especially in a city like Chicago, is concentrated in a handful of neighborhoods," said Klein. "So, what is it that these neighborhoods are lacking that others have that we need to be providing? What are the economic resources? What are the educational opportunities for older teenagers and young adults? What job opportunities do we need to be providing?"

The report analyzed data from 20 states. It recommends that life sentences without review should never be imposed on juveniles, and points out that the justice system metes out the harshest sentences on young Black men.

Mother's Day has a special place in the heart of a Michigan woman whose mother's incarceration kept them separated for decades.

Jen Szénay of Michigan said in 1990, her mother was sentenced to life in prison for the death of her husband, in a murder-for-hire case.

Szénay explained that her mom is a domestic-abuse survivor who didn't feel protected by the law.

She said two men carried out the murder of her father - and her mom, who maintains her innocence, was accused of conspiring with them.

Szénay's mother was given a commutation from the governor and released from prison last March. Szénay shared what that first Mother's Day with her mom was like after three decades apart.

"Overjoyed to be together, but it was just like so much shock still surrounding it," said Szénay. "I mean, we had been apart since May 24, 1990. So just to be able to, like, sit with her, hold her hand. It's weird to talk about because there's so many little things that you don't realize that you miss in a person until you don't have it."

Szénay is the communications coordinator for the Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration, an organization advocating for second-chance legislation.

It would pave the way for those serving a long prison sentence to re-enter society if they're deemed to no longer pose a risk to the community.

Incarcerated individuals would need to petition their sentencing judge for a reduction of their sentence.

With statistics showing average annual prison costs of between $34,000 and $48,000 per person - not including health care - policy researchers estimate savings of approximately $200 million a year through second-chance legislation.

"A lot of these women are victims themselves of domestic violence, of sex trafficking," said Szénay. "To have the ability to go back and say, 'Look, this happened when I was 18, 19, 25, you know, any age, 30, whatever. This is who I am today.'"

Szénay said that money saved by reducing excessive prison sentences could be reinvested in violence prevention, victim services and mental health.

"Why these cases are so deserving of a second look," said Szénay, "is because when you hear the stories, you're like, how did this person get so much time for this situation?"

Michigan has roughly 44,000 people confined or detained, and the state spends nearly 20% of its General Fund on prisons - adding up to more than $2 billion per year.

A North Carolina group hopes to help people stay out of prison by connecting them to critical resources.

Recidivism Reduction Educational Programs Services is launching a new hotline to help formerly incarcerated people with re-entry services.

Kerwin Pittman, the organization's founder, said he found it tough getting connected to the right people as a returning citizen nearly seven years ago and in 2024, he said the issue still exists.

"What we realized that across North Carolina, the connectivity wasn't happening at all," Pittman pointed out. "You would have people returning, citizens, family members, those who wanted to get help for these individuals trying to reach out for services and needed services but just couldn't find them."

The hotline connects callers to real people who essentially create a bridge directly to services in the community. Pittman noted since its launch last Monday, more than 100 people have used the call center to get connected to housing and jobs. To contact the center, call 1-888-852-0004.

In North Carolina, 44% of people are re-arrested within two years of being released from state prisons. Pittman acknowledged it can be challenging to have a successful transition when you don't know where to start and emphasized one small resource can be the key to getting on track.

"You'd be surprised how many individuals come home and don't just have simple identification," Pittman emphasized. "And we know without identification, you can't receive benefits that you may be eligible for, you can't receive a job, you can't receive housing. And so everything kind of plays into each other."

In addition to closing gaps and getting people to services, Pittman said he hopes it inspires others to find innovative ways to make connection easier for people affected by the justice system. Earlier this year at the state level, Gov. Roy Cooper signed Executive Order 303 to improve re-entry.

Mississippi prisons often lack resources to treat people who are incarcerated with substance-use disorders adequately but a nonprofit organization is offering alternative programs focused on treatment instead of incarceration.

The Magnolia State has one of the highest incarceration rates in the nation, with more than 1,000 people per 100,000 residents behind bars.

Christina Dent, founder and president of End It For Good, said they invite people to support approaches to drugs prioritizing life, preserving families and promoting public safety.

"We do education out in the community - with citizens, with advocates, with policymakers - to help them understand why a punitive criminal justice approach to drugs and addiction has not produced good results and why a health-centered approach would produce much better results," Dent explained.

It is estimated more than 578,000 people in state and federal prisons in 2022 had a substance-use disorder in the year prior to their admission, according to the Prison Policy Initiative.

Dent emphasized they recommend lawmakers look at other alternatives to stop reactionary approaches resulting in Mississippians paying harsher penalties for crimes such as drug possession.

"Shift away from increasing penalties," Dent urged. "Another thing that we could do would be to reduce penalties or recategorize penalties for something like drug possession. We would love to see a shift from treating drug possession as potentially a felony to drug possession being a misdemeanor. "

Dent noted such an alternative approach would allow individuals impacted to more easily regain employment, support their families and reintegrate into society. She added felony convictions create lifelong barriers to employment and self-sufficiency.


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