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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2413 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1087
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
James B. Eldridge
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to end lifetime parole for juveniles and emerging adults.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and WorcesterBrandy Fluker-Reid12th SuffolkChristopher J. Worrell5th SuffolkJoanne M. ComerfordHampshire, Franklin and Worcester2/11/2025Jason M. LewisFifth Middlesex2/11/2025 1 of 4
SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2413 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1087
By Mr. Eldridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1087) of James B. Eldridge,
Brandy Fluker-Reid, Christopher J. Worrell, Joanne M. Comerford and others for legislation to
abolish sentences of life without parole for individuals who committed crimes while they were
considered minors or young adults. The Judiciary.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act to end lifetime parole for juveniles and emerging adults.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Section 52 of chapter 119 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022
2Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the definition of “Punishment” the
3following definition:-
4 ‘'transformational youth'', a person: (1) who received a life sentence after being convicted
5of first- or second-degree murder and who was at least 14 years of age but younger than 21
6years of age at the time of commission of the offense, or (2) who received a life sentence or after
7being convicted of manslaughter while violating the provisions of sections 102 to 102c,
8inclusive, of chapter 266 and who was at least 14 years of age but younger than 21 years of age
9at the time of commission of the offense; provided, further that this definition shall apply
10retroactively to include a person who received a life sentence for the any of the offenses
11described above and was at least 14 years of age but younger than 21 years of age at the time of
12commission of the offense. 2 of 4
13 SECTION 2. Said section 52 of said chapter 119, as so appearing, is hereby further
14amended by inserting after the word “nineteen”, in line 28, the the following words:-
15 provided, however, that the definition of “youthful offender” shall exclude a
16“transformational youth.”
17 SECTION 3. Chapter 127 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
18section 133E the following section:-
19 (a) After a transformational youth has lived on parole for 3 years without committing an
20act that constitutes a felony or misdemeanor violating the law, the parole board shall issue a
21certificate of termination of sentence to said transformational youth pursuant to section 130A of
22chapter 127 within 30 days of the end of said 3 years on parole.
23 (b) Within 5 calendar days of the date on which a transformational youth has lived on
24parole for 3 years without violating the law, the transformational youth’s parole officer shall
25submit a notice of impending parole termination to the parole board’s office of the general
26counsel notifying the office that the individual transformational youth lived on parole for 3 years
27without violating the law. Within 5 calendar days of the date of receipt by the office of the
28general counsel of the parole officer’s notice of impending termination of parole for a
29transformational youth, the office of the general counsel shall provide a notice of impending
30termination of parole to the Parole Board for review and vote.
31 (c) Within 10 calendar days of the date of receipt by the Parole Board of the notice of
32impending termination of the individual transformational youth’s parole, the Parole Board shall
33vote in open session to issue a certificate of termination to the individual transformational youth 3 of 4
34pursuant to section 130A of chapter 127 if the board determines that the transformational youth
35has not committed an act that constitutes a felony or misdemeanor in the 3-year period.
36 (d) Within 5 calendar days of the Board’s vote to grant a Certificate of Termination to an
37individual transformational youth, the Board shall furnish a copy of the Certificate of
38Termination to the following: (1) the individual transformational youth; (2) the commissioner
39and the judge who imposed the sentence, in accordance with the terms of section 130A of
40chapter 127; in the event the judge who pronounced sentence is retired or deceased, a copy of the
41Certificate of Termination shall be forwarded to the Regional Administrative Justice of the
42Superior Court for the County in which the transformational youth was sentenced; and (3) all
43certified CORI petitioners and victims as enumerated in section 178A of chapter 6 and section 1
44of chapter 258B.
45 (e) If an individual transformational youth has served more than 3 years on parole
46without violating the law as of the effective date of this Act, the individual transformational
47youth’s parole officer shall, within 30 days of the effective date of this Act, submit a notice of
48impending parole termination to the office of the general counsel notifying the office of the
49general counsel that the individual transformational youth lived on parole for more than 3 years.
50Within 15 calendar days of receipt of said notice by the office of the general counsel, the office
51of the general counsel shall provide a notice of impending termination of parole to the Parole
52Board for review and vote. Within 15 calendar days of the Board’s receipt of said notice, the
53Board shall vote in open session to issue a Certificate of Termination to the transformational
54youth. Notification to all parties and individuals regarding the issuance of said Certificate of
55Termination to a transformational youth, including to the subject transformational youth, shall be
56in accordance with subsection (d). 4 of 4
57 (f) If an individual transformational youth is already on parole on the effective date of
58this Act, and has lived less than 3 years on parole on the effective date of this Act, the time that
59said transformational youth has lived on parole on the effective date of this Act shall be counted
60as constituting time lived on parole for purposes of termination of parole. The Board shall issue
61a Certificate of Termination of sentence to said transformational youth pursuant to Section 130A
62of chapter 127, and notify all parties and individuals of the Certificate of Termination of
63sentence, after the transformational youth has lived for 3 years on parole, in accordance with
64subsection (d).