To amend title 18, United States Code, to authorize a court to reduce the term of imprisonment imposed on certain defendants convicted as an adult for an offense committed and completed before the defendant attained 18 years of age, and for other purposes.

Bill: 116-hr-1951
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Westerman, Bruce [R-AR-4]
Introduced: 2019-03-28
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Correctional facilities and imprisonment

Crime victims

Criminal procedure and sentencing

Government information and archives

Judicial review and appeals

Juvenile crime and gang violence
Latest action: action_date: 2019-05-03
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-03-28
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This bill authorizes a court to reduce a prison term imposed on a defendant convicted as an adult for an offense committed as a juvenile if (1) the defendant has served at least 20 years in custody, and (2) the defendant is not a danger to public safety.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1951 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 28, 2019 Mr. Westerman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To amend title 18, United States Code, to authorize a court to reduce the term of imprisonment imposed on certain defendants convicted as an adult for an offense committed and completed before the defendant attained 18 years of age, and for other purposes.

1. Parole for juveniles (a) In general Chapter 403 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 5032 the following: 5032A. Modification of an imposed term of imprisonment for violations of law committed prior to age 18 (a) In general Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a court may reduce a term of imprisonment imposed upon a defendant convicted as an adult for an offense committed and completed before the defendant attained 18 years of age if— (1) the defendant has served not less than 20 years in custody for the offense; and (2) the court finds, after considering the factors set forth in subsection (c), that the defendant is not a danger to the safety of any person or the community and that the interests of justice warrant a sentence modification. (b) Supervised release Any defendant whose sentence is reduced pursuant to subsection (a) shall be ordered to serve a period of supervised release of not less than 5 years following release from imprisonment. The conditions of supervised release and any modification or revocation of the term of supervised release shall be in accordance with section 3583. (c) Factors and information To be considered in determining whether To modify a term of imprisonment The court, in determining whether to reduce a term of imprisonment pursuant to subsection (a), shall consider— (1) the factors described in section 3553(a), including the nature of the offense and the history and characteristics of the defendant; (2) the age of the defendant at the time of the offense; (3) a report and recommendation of the Bureau of Prisons, including information on whether the defendant has substantially complied with the rules of each institution in which the defendant has been confined and whether the defendant has completed any educational, vocational, or other prison program, where available; (4) a report and recommendation of the United States attorney for any district in which an offense for which the defendant is imprisoned was prosecuted; (5) whether the defendant has demonstrated maturity, rehabilitation, and a fitness to reenter society sufficient to justify a sentence reduction; (6) any statement, which may be presented orally or otherwise, by any victim of an offense for which the defendant is imprisoned or by a family member of the victim if the victim is deceased; (7) any report from a physical, mental, or psychiatric examination of the defendant conducted by a licensed health care professional; (8) the family and community circumstances of the defendant at the time of the offense, including any history of abuse, trauma, or involvement in the child welfare system; (9) the extent of the role of the defendant in the offense and whether, and to what extent, an adult was involved in the offense; (10) the diminished culpability of juveniles as compared to that of adults, and the hallmark features of youth, including immaturity, impetuosity, and failure to appreciate risks and consequences, which counsel against sentencing juveniles to the otherwise applicable term of imprisonment; and (11) any other information the court determines relevant to the decision of the court. (d) Limitation on applications pursuant to this section (1) Second application Not earlier than 5 years after the date on which an order entered by a court on an initial application under this section becomes final, a court shall entertain a second application by the same defendant under this section. (2) Final application Not earlier than 5 years after the date on which an order entered by a court on a second application under paragraph (1) becomes final, a court shall entertain a final application by the same defendant under this section. (3) Prohibition A court may not entertain an application filed after an application filed under paragraph (2) by the same defendant. (e) Procedures (1) Notice The Bureau of Prisons shall provide written notice of this section to— (A) any defendant who has served not less than 19 years in prison for an offense committed and completed before the defendant attained 18 years of age for which the defendant was convicted as an adult; and (B) the sentencing court, the United States attorney, and the Federal Public Defender or Executive Director of the Community Defender Organization for the judicial district in which the sentence described in subparagraph (A) was imposed. (2) Crime victims rights Upon receiving notice under paragraph (1), the United States attorney shall provide any notifications required under section 3771. (3) Application (A) In general An application for a sentence reduction under this section shall be filed as a motion to reduce the sentence of the defendant and may include affidavits or other written material. (B) Requirement A motion to reduce a sentence under this section shall be filed with the sentencing court and a copy shall be served on the United States attorney for the judicial district in which the sentence was imposed. (4) Expanding the record; hearing (A) Expanding the record After the filing of a motion to reduce a sentence under this section, the court may direct the parties to expand the record by submitting additional written materials relating to the motion. (B) Hearing (i) In general The court shall conduct a hearing on the motion, at which the defendant and counsel for the defendant shall be given the opportunity to be heard. (ii) Evidence In a hearing under this section, the court may allow parties to present evidence. (iii) Defendant’s presence At a hearing under this section, the defendant shall be present unless the defendant waives the right to be present. The requirement under this clause may be satisfied by the defendant appearing by video teleconference. (iv) Counsel A defendant who is unable to obtain counsel is entitled to have counsel appointed to represent the defendant for proceedings under this section, including any appeal, unless the defendant waives the right to counsel. (v) Findings The court shall state in open court, and file in writing, the reasons for granting or denying a motion under this section. (C) Appeal The Government or the defendant may file a notice of appeal in the district court for review of a final order under this section. The time limit for filing such appeal shall be governed by rule 4(a) of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure. (f) Educational and rehabilitative programs A defendant who is convicted and sentenced as an adult for an offense committed and completed before the defendant attained 18 years of age may not be deprived of any educational, training, or rehabilitative program that is otherwise available to the general prison population. . (b) Table of sections The table of sections for chapter 403 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 5032 the following: 5032A. Modification of an imposed term of imprisonment for violations of law committed prior to age 18. . (c) Applicability The amendments made by this section shall apply to any conviction entered before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act.