Lawmakers explore juvenile life sentences in Pennsylvania

By Chris Togneri, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Nov. 8--A Philadelphia state representative is the latest politician to voice concern about the state's practice of sentencing juveniles to life in prison without parole.

But as political will to halt such sentences grows, victims' rights advocates vow to oppose any changes in criminal sentencing guidelines.

The issue will hit the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, when justices will hear arguments on two cases from Florida in which juvenile offenders claim their life sentences -- one for rape, the other for robbery -- are unconstitutional. If the court rules that life sentences for juveniles are inhumane, legal analysts said, any juvenile lifer in the country could appeal his or her sentence.

It's an issue that evokes strong opinions.

In Pennsylvania, Democratic Rep. Kenyatta Johnson said he co-authored a bill that would abolish life sentences without parole for juveniles, allow current juvenile lifers to appeal their sentences and provide parole hearings at least once during the first 15 years of a life sentence, and every three years thereafter.

Johnson said the bill is in part a response to recent reports suggesting Pennsylvania sentences more juveniles to life in prison without parole than any state or country.

"I've always been a youth advocate," Johnson said. "And I've always been an advocate of giving individuals a second chance. Within our criminal justice system, and with the right resources, we can redeem (juvenile offenders). We can't focus on punishment when we should be focusing on rehabilitation."

Victims' rights advocates disagree.

Bobbi Jamriska -- whose pregnant sister, Kristina Grill, 15, was killed in 1993 by her 15-year-old ex-boyfriend in the West End -- said regular parole hearings would punish victims' families.

"I can't even imagine how painful it would be to have to relive it all," said Jamriska, 38, of Shaler. "They told me it was over and I'd never have to deal with this ever again. To have to go back and revisit it again and again, every three years -- it's incomprehensible."

Johnson's bill follows other recent political maneuverings:

--In September, Democratic Rep. Robert Matzie of Ambridge co-wrote a bill that would provide parole opportunities to juvenile offenders sentenced to at least 10 years in prison.

"At the very least, we should take a look at some of these cases," Matzie said. "My hope is to start a dialogue (and) work with victims' rights groups to make (any changes) as palatable as possible."

--In July, a House resolution called for forming an advisory committee to study why Pennsylvania has so many juvenile lifers.

--Last year, Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, R-Montgomery, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, held a hearing in Harrisburg to examine state sentencing laws for juveniles.

Pennsylvania has about one-fifth of the nation's 2,381 juvenile lifers, according to the 2008 report "Sentencing Our Children to Die in Prison," a study released by the University of San Francisco's Center for Law and Global Justice.

In Pennsylvania, anyone charged with murder is automatically tried as an adult, and a first- or second-degree murder conviction results in an automatic prison sentence of life without parole.

"To be tough on crime, that's an easy way to get elected," Johnson said. "But you have to look at what is going on with system. I want to look at the flaws and give some perspective on what's really going on."

That's fine, said Jennifer Bishop Jenkins, founder of the National Organization of Victims of Juvenile Lifers -- but only if victims' families are part of the discussion.

"Should there be more protections for younger offenders in Pennsylvania? Perhaps," said Jenkins, an Illinois resident whose sister and brother-in-law were murdered by a 16-year old. "All of those things should be definitely looked at. But they darn well better do it with all the stakeholders at the table. We have a right to be in this discussion, too."

In a pending case in Lawrence County, attorneys for Jordan Brown, 12, who is charged as an adult with two counts of homicide, are preparing arguments to move his case to juvenile court. A hearing is set for Dec. 10.

Police say Brown fatally shot his father's pregnant fiancee, Kenzie Marie Houk, 26, in the back of the head as she lay in bed, killing her and her unborn child. Brown, who was 11 at the time of the killings, could be the youngest person in U.S. history sentenced to life in prison without parole, according to legal experts.

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