LEGISLATURE 2011: Bill: Juveniles can't face life without parole unless the crime is murder

Legislation introduced in the Assembly Friday would prohibit sentencing a juvenile offender to life without parole unless the crime was homicide.

Existing law already prohibits the death sentence for a juvenile who commits a crime before age 18.

The reason for the legislation, according to the legislative counsel, is a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling life without parole unconstitutional for juvenile offenders.

In addition, the bill applies retroactively to any current Nevada inmates who were sentenced to life in prison without parole for crimes committed before age 18.

The maximum sentence for a juvenile offender would be life with the possibility of parole.

Assembly Bill 134 was referred to the Judiciary Committee.

In addition, the Judiciary Committee introduced Assembly Bill 136, which allows criminals serving time for class B felonies to apply good time credits to reduce their minimum sentences. Inmates convicted of lesser felonies can already have their minimum sentences reduced by good time credits but that has been denied in the case of more serious and, particularly, violent crimes. Study committees made the recommendation noting that some B felonies aren't crimes of violence.

The change would help relieve prison crowding by getting some of those inmates out of prison earlier.