SENATE BILL 672

Youth Rehabilitation & Opportunity Act

Gives young adults sentenced to life without parole the chance to request a parole hearing after serving at least 25 years, recognizing the potential for growth without guaranteeing release.

Description:

Senate Bill 672 (SB 672) allows inmates sentenced to life without parole (LWOP) for crimes committed before age 26 to request a parole hearing after serving at least 25 years in prison. SB 672 does not guarantee release and excludes the most serious crimes, including the murder of a law enforcement officer and violent sexual crimes.

SB 672 is grounded in neuroscience that shows the brain continues developing into the mid-20s and recognizes that young adults can grow and change. The bill gives the parole board the opportunity to review the incarceration, but does not promise or guarantee release.

What SB 672 Does:

• Allows people sentenced to life without parole (LWOP) to request a parole hearing for crimes committed before age 26, but only after serving at least 25 years in prison.
• The California Board of Parole maintains full discretion to determine whether a person has truly been rehabilitated and no longer poses a risk to public safety.
• Recognizes decades of scientific evidence showing that the brain, particularly the areas tied to impulse control and decision-making, continues to develop through the mid-20s.
• Provides a process for review, not release - no one is let out automatically, and victims retain full participation and notification rights.
• Builds on the state's existing youth offender laws while maintaining strict eligibility standards.

What SB 672 Does Not Do:

• It does NOT guarantee release. Every decision is still made by the Board of Parole based on whether someone poses a threat to public safety.
• It does NOT apply to the most heinous crimes. Individuals convicted of murdering a law enforcement officer or committing violent sexual offenses - including child abuse and sex trafficking of a minor - are excluded.
• It does NOT apply after age 26. Only those who committed their crimes before turning 26 are eligible to request a parole hearing.
• It does NOT remove victims' rights. Victims and families will continue to be notified, attend hearings, and speak directly to the board.
• It does NOT reduce accountability. Inmate sentences are still served, and the parole process remains rigorous. SB 672 only provides for review, not release.

What the Science Says:

• The brain continues to develop into the mid-20s.
  The prefrontal cortex - the area responsible for decision-making, impulse control, and judgment - is not fully developed until around age 25. This impacts a young adult’s ability to assess risk, plan long-term, and regulate behavior.
• The United States Supreme Court and California courts recognize that young adults are different.
  In decisions like Miller v. Alabama and People v. Franklin, state and federal courts have affirmed that teens and young adults have diminished culpability and greater capacity for change, based on neuroscience and developmental psychology.
• Rehabilitation works, especially over time.
  In California, incarcerated individuals who participate in long-term rehabilitative programming show consistently lower recidivism rates. Those released after serving long sentences, especially 20 years or more, reoffend at far lower rates than short-term prisoners.
• Resentenced youth LWOPs almost never reoffend.
  After Pennsylvania made all individuals sentenced to juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) eligible for parole, researchers tracked the outcomes of those released. Among the first group resentenced and released, the recidivism rate was just 1.14%, showing that, given time and support, young people can change and safely reenter society.