Month: February 2018
California Supreme Court Rejects Actuarial Approach to Parole Eligibility
In a 4-3 decision, the California Supreme Court held that a 50-year-to-life sentence for youth ineligible for parole under California’s Youthful Offender Parole Act violates the 8th Amendment within the meaning of Graham v. Florida. (People v. Contreras et al, S224564, filed Feb. 26, 2018). The majority opinion, penned by Justice Liu, and …
California Supreme Court Holds Proposition 57 Ban on Direct File is Retroactive!
By Richard Braucher, PJDC Board Member
Today a unanimous California Supreme Court held that the provisions of Prop. 57, eliminating direct filing of youth into adult court, are to be applied retrospectively to cases not yet final. People v. Sup. Ct. Lara, S241231, authored by Justice Ming Chin, had no difficulty finding California’s state …