Testimony from Ashley Nellis on Pennsylvania Bill Regarding Sentencing Reform Bill
Pennsylvania is one of only two states that requires life without parole (LWOP) for first and second degree murder.
Related to: Sentencing Reform, Incarceration
The Sentencing Project’s Co-Director of Research, Ashley Nellis, submitted testimony before the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee in support of HB 2296 – which would eliminate felony murder as an eligible offense for life without parole.
Pennsylvania’s use of mandatory life without parole sentences for second degree murder makes it a clear outlier in the U.S. Pennsylvania is one of only two states that requires life without parole (LWOP) for first and second degree murder.1 This is a key driver in its extraordinarily large “lifer” population.2 Nearly one of every 5 people serving LWOP in Pennsylvania has been sentenced to die in prison despite the fact that their role in the crime of conviction may have been minor or even unknown to them.
Read the full testimony here.
| 1. | Lindsay, A. (2021). Life without Parole for Second Degree Murder in Pennsylvania: An Objective Assessment of Sentencing. Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity |
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| 2. | Nellis, A. (2021). No End in Sight. The Sentencing Project. |
