A bill that would allow killers serving a life sentence without parole to possibly be re-sentenced cleared a major hurdle Friday in California's Democratic-led state Legislature.
The state Assembly Appropriations Committee advanced Senate Bill 94, which now moves to the next phase of voting. The bill would allow California prison inmates serving a sentence of life without parole (LWOP) for certain crimes to petition for re-sentencing if the offense occurred before June 5, 1990, and the completion of at least 25 years of their sentence.
Those convicted of first-degree murder of a police officer would be exempt. Those who are re-sentenced would have the opportunity to someday go in front of a parole board, which could deny them release.