Yale Event Pushes for Juvenile Sentencing Reform: 'Crazy' Law Targeted
Over 100 people gathered at Yale's Afro-American Cultural Center to discuss juvenile sentencing reform. The event, held on an unspecified date, included a panel discussion and a question-and-answer session with the audience. The main topic was a 2023 Connecticut law that restricts early parole eligibility for those sentenced after October 1, 2005, and under the age of 21 at the time of sentencing.
Panelists, including Yale Law School professor Elizabeth Hinton, described the policy as 'crazy, misguided, and arbitrary'. They argued for raising the age threshold for youth justice sentencing and removing the early parole age limit. Around 10 formerly incarcerated people and family members of currently incarcerated people attended the event, sharing their experiences and the impact of the 2023 law on their parole eligibility.
Kathryn Thomas, a lawyer and clinical psychologist, cited the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court case Miller v. Alabama to support her argument for raising the age threshold. Arielle Baskin-Sommers, a Yale psychology and psychiatry professor, explained that decision-making, emotional regulation, and sensitivity to reward are not fully developed until the late twenties, further backing the need for reform.
State Rep. Kadeem Roberts, who sponsored a bill that restricts the use of handcuffs on minors under the age of 14, is also pushing for the Act to Require Fair Juvenile Sentencing. This bill aims to eliminate the October 1, 2005, sentencing cutoff and raise the eligible age to under 26. The next legislative session in Connecticut will see State Senator Jeff Gordon sponsoring a similar bill to raise the age for youth justice sentencing and remove the early parole age limit.
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