Honored for leadership on juvenile justice reform
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley received the Champion for Children Award by the Campaign for Fair Sentencing of Youth for his leadership on juvenile justice reform. The group commended Grassley for his work to eliminate life without parole sentences for crimes committed as children.
“It’s an honor to receive recognition from advocates who truly understand and care about preserving fairness for youth who encounter the criminal justice system. They are dedicated to giving a voice to this cause and ensuring balance in sentencing for juveniles,” Grassley said.
Grassley led months of negotiations to craft the bipartisan Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, which advanced by a strong 15-5 vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee in October. The bill includes a provision to make federal inmates who committed crimes as juveniles eligible for parole after they’ve served 20 years of their sentence. The provision is consistent with Supreme Court rulings that juveniles who receive life sentences must have the opportunity for parole.
The bill also allows nonviolent juveniles tried as juveniles in federal court to obtain sealing or expungement of their convictions in certain circumstances and limits the use of solitary confinement for juveniles held in federal prisons.
