The Schubert Center provided testimony on June 3, 2020, on an Ohio Senate bill abolishing mandatory sentencing of juveniles to life in prison without the possibility of parole (SB256). Introduced by Senators Manning and Lehner, SB256 is an effort to make Ohio law consistent with landmark U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) case law that began a decade ago with (soon followed by and ). Ohio has yet to adopt policy that is consistent with SCOTUS' central holding: that children who commit even heinous crimes are capable of change.
In particular, the Center seeks to advance developmentally-appropriate policy by ensuring that children convicted in adult court of serious criminal offenses still have a meaningful opportunity for parole at some point in their adult life. While SB 256 is no guarantee of release, and would still require that youth convicted of the most violent offenses serve a minimum of 30 years, it creates a chance for parole eligibility. It also requires that the Ohio parole board consider the person's age at the time of the offense and other mitigating factors of youth in order to provide a "meaningful opportunity" for release.
SB 256 is an important step forward in Ohio law, as it brings the state in alignment with SCOTUS precedent, the practices of other states and the developmental science of adolescence.
"All people, but especially those in the turmoil of adolescence, are more than their worst deed - SB 256 creates the possibility that a convicted young person may yet, one day, grow into their best self and perhaps even have something of value to offer society.