Latest news with #JuvenileRestorationAct
CBS News
20-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Convicted felons in Maryland could soon petition for early release with bill advancing
Convicted felons in Maryland could soon have a chance to petition for reduced sentences under a new bill that is one step closer to becoming a law. The Second Chance Act, or House Bill 724, which would apply to convicted felons who have already served 20 years and are not a danger to the public, survived Crossover Day passed the House chamber and now heads to the Senate. Under the proposed bill , petitions would be filed once every three years. Per the measure, the courts would consider factors including the individual's age at the time of the offense, behavior during incarceration, participation in educational programs, and public safety risk. A similar bill, the Maryland Clean Slate Act , would direct the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to clear marijuana possession records and cases at least three years old. The bill would also allow for expungement of misdemeanor charges after seven years. However, domestic-related crimes and second-degree assault charges would remain ineligible for expungement under the proposed law. If passed, the legislation would require all electronic court records of cases eligible for expungement to be removed from public view starting in August 2027. The bill specifies that physical documents and media would not need to be redacted or destroyed. After recreational cannabis was legalized in Maryland in July 2023, Gov. Wes Moore pardoned more than 175,000 convictions for cannabis or drug paraphernalia possession. Currently, the Juvenile Restoration Act allows people who served at least 20 years of a sentence for a crime they committed when they were under the age of 18 to request a sentence reduction. The law passed in 2024, also prohibits the courts from sentencing minors to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole or release. According to a 2024 report by the Second Look Movement , nearly one-third of people serving life sentences are 55 or older, which amounts to more than 60,000 people. The report also says that lengthy sentences do not significantly deter crime and that people tend to desist from crime as they age. In December 2023, the Maryland Equitable Justice Commission shared recommendations to reduce mass incarceration in the state and reduce racial disparities in the justice system. The commission said that Maryland has the highest amount of Black individuals in its prisons when compared to the state population. Expanding second look laws, limiting the automatic charging of children in adult criminal court, and increasing the number of people eligible for parole consideration due to serious medical conditions, or reaching an age where they are no longer a threat to public safety.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Yahoo
'Serial' podcast subject Adnan Syed resentenced to probation after murder conviction in 2000
March 14 (UPI) -- Adnan Syed on Friday was formally resentenced to five years probation one week after the judge ruled he shouldn't return to prison for a life sentence for the murder of his high school girlfriend found dead in Baltimore in 1999. The podcast series Serial profiled the case in 2014. He served nearly 23 years in prison until September 2022, when his conviction was vacated but reinstated a year later. The ruling by Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer was made based on the Juvenile Restoration Act, a Maryland law that permits a modified sentence for individuals who have served at least 20 years in prison for crimes committed as minors. The resentencing was in accordance with Schiffer's written decision. "I hope, Mr. Syed, and I trust, that this will be the last time we see each other," the judge told Syed, who is now 43. "Otherwise, I don't have to tell you the amount of time that's hanging over your head. Good luck to everyone." Syed was 17 at the time of Hae Min Lee's murder. She was found strangled to death and buried in a shallow grave in Baltimore's Leakin Park on Feb. 9, 1999, one month after she went missing. Syed's first trial ended in a mistrial. Then on Feb. 25, 2000, a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced him to life in prison. His conviction was vacated in 2022 because prosecutors said the conviction was based on unreliable evidence. His murder conviction was reinstated in March 2023 after the Maryland Appellate Court found the circuit court violated the rights of Young Lee, Hae Min Lee's brother. Insufficient notice was given to Lee's family about the vacatur hearing, the justices ruled. Maryland Supreme Court's 4-3 ruling in August 2024 affirmed the lower court's decision, and ordered a new hearing to allow the Lee family's rights to be observed. The night before a hearing last month to reduce Syed's sentence, Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates said his office was withdrawing their motion to vacate Syed's murder conviction, meaning the conviction stands regardless of whether Syed's sentence was reduced. Bates defeated City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby in July 2022. Bates said Mosby's decision to vacate Syed's conviction was based on "false and misleading statements that undermine the integrity of the judicial process." "I would like to offer Mr. Lee and his entire family an apology for how you were treated during this process," Bates said. "It's not indicative of what this office is. We recognize the hurt and the pain that your family has gone through. We do say we are sorry about that." David Sanford, counsel for Lee's family, said the decision "brings to a close the long saga of Adnan Syed." "The family of Hae Min Lee is grateful to the Court for giving the victim's family due respect throughout these proceedings, allowing us to fully argue to the Court the victim's position," Sanford said in an emailed statement to The Daily Record in Maryland. "The family is also thankful to the Maryland Supreme Court for its historic decision in this case, which grants victims particular rights previously enshrined generally in the Maryland State Constitution. As a result, victims now have the right to be heard, the right to be present, and the right to meaningfully participate in criminal justice proceedings." During Friday's sentencing hearing, Erica Suter, who represents Syed, asked Schiffer to grant him unsupervised probation. Also, Suter requested the court waive supervision fees and court costs given Syed's additional expenses due to his change in living conditions. Schiffer denied Syed's requests. "I am mindful that Mr. Syed requested unsupervised probation, but given the relief that this court has already granted on these extraordinarily serious and tragic charges, I believe I've shown more consideration than anyone could have expected," Schiffer said. He is permitted to travel between Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia for his work at Georgetown University's Prisons and Justice Initiative and for family obligations. Syed has 30 days to appeal her ruling and 90 days to ask the court to reduce or modify his sentence.
Chicago Tribune
14-03-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Adnan Syed formally gets new, reduced sentence for 1999 killing
A Baltimore judge formally resentenced Adnan Syed on Friday, just over a week after ruling he should not serve any more prison time for the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee. Circuit Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer said last week she would reduce Syed's sentence to time served, plus five years of supervised probation. Friday's hearing made that official, bringing an end to the legal saga of the 'Serial' podcast subject that included a life prison sentence, a slew of appeals and his 2022 release from prison. Schiffer issued the sentence issued via Zoom. 'I hope, Mr. Syed, and I trust that this will be the last time we see each other,' Schiffer said. 'Otherwise, I don't have to tell you the amount of time that is hanging over your head.' Syed's attorney Erica J. Suter asked Friday that he be allowed to travel to Washington for his job at Georgetown University and to Virginia to see family under unsupervised probation. She also asked the court to waive supervision fees and court costs due to the additional expenses with his living conditions. Schiffer allowed Syed to travel to Washington and Virginia without getting specific authorization from his probation agent. She waived the court costs but declined to waive the supervision fees. He will remain on supervised probation. In her opinion last week, Schiffer repeatedly noted that Syed still stood convicted of his high school ex-girlfriend's killing, which she described as 'premeditated' and 'brutal.' 'I am mindful that Mr. Syed requested unsupervised probation, but given the relief that this court has already granted on these extraordinarily serious and tragic charges, I believe I've shown more consideration to him than anyone could have expected,' Schiffer said at the hearing Friday. Schiffer made her ruling under the Juvenile Restoration Act, which allows people convicted of crimes that occurred before they turned 18 to ask a judge to reduce their sentence. During an emotional hearing the week before, Syed's attorney called several witnesses testifying to the 44-year-old's character since his arrest more than 25 years ago. Lee, Syed's high school girlfriend was found dead in Leakin Park in 1999. Lee's family and attorney David Sanford, issued a statement following Friday's hearing: 'Today's hearing brings to a close the long saga of Adnan Syed,' the statement read. 'The Court resentenced Mr. Syed to time served for pre-meditated murder and kidnapping, with 5 years of supervised probation and limited travel restricted to Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland. The family of Hae Min Lee is grateful to the Court for giving the victim's family due respect throughout these proceedings, allowing us to fully argue to the Court the victim's position. 'The family is also thankful to the Maryland Supreme Court for its historic decision in this case, which grants victims particular rights previously enshrined generally in the Maryland State Constitution. As a result, victims now have the right to be heard, the right to be present, and the right to meaningfully participate in criminal justice proceedings.' Originally Published:
CBS News
14-03-2025
- CBS News
Adnan Syed to formally be re-sentenced after judge ruled no more prison time for 1999 murder
Adnan Syed will be formally re-sentenced on Friday, March 14, just over a week after a judge ruled he should not serve any more prison time for the murder conviction of Hae Min Lee, his high school girlfriend who was found dead in Baltimore's Leakin Park in 1999. Syed, whose murder case was highlighted in the first season of the true-crime podcast "Serial," was re-sentenced to the 20-plus years he has already served for his 2000 conviction, plus five years of probation. Syed remains convicted of first-degree murder and other offenses. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer determined on March 6 that Syed"is not a danger to the public" and that the "interests of justice will be better served by a reduced sentence." The judge's ruling was made under the Juvenile Restoration Act, a Maryland law that permits individuals who have served at least 20 years in prison for crimes committed as minors to seek a modified sentence. Adnan Syed's murder conviction Syed was 17 at the time of Lee's 1999 murder. He served 23 years in prison before his conviction was vacated in 2022. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2000, but has been out of prison since 2022, when Baltimore prosecutors moved to vacate his conviction over unreliable evidence. His murder conviction was reinstated in March 2023, after the Maryland Appellate Court found the circuit court violated the rights of Young Lee, Hae Min Lee's brother. Justices said that insufficient notice was given to Lee's family about the vacatur hearing. Just before the re-sentencing hearing, Bates said his office was withdrawing their motion to vacate Syed's murder conviction, meaning the conviction stands regardless of whether Syed's sentence was reduced. Bates said former City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby's decision to vacate Syed's conviction was based on "false and misleading statements that undermine the integrity of the judicial process." Bates then apologized to Lee's family. "I would like to offer Mr. Lee and his entire family an apology for how you were treated during this process," Bates said. "It's not indicative of what this office is. We recognize the hurt and the pain that your family has gone through. We do say we are sorry about that."
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Yahoo
Adnan Syed case: Judge to impose new, reduced sentence at Friday hearing
BALTIMORE — A Baltimore judge is scheduled to formally re-sentence Adnan Syed on Friday, just over a week after ruling he should not serve any more prison time in connection with the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee. The official end to the 'Serial' subject's life prison sentence — which included a slew of appeals and his 2022 release from prison — will be issued via Zoom. Circuit Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer already decided last week that she would reduce Syed's sentence to time served, plus five years of supervised probation. Schiffer made her ruling under the Juvenile Restoration Act, which allows people convicted of crimes that occurred before they turned 18 to ask a judge to reduce their sentence. During an emotional hearing the week before, Syed's attorney called several witnesses testifying to the 44-year-old's character since his arrest in 1999. Syed still stands convicted of first-degree murder and other offenses for the death of Lee, his high school girlfriend who was found dead in Leakin Park in 1999. He has been out of prison since 2022, when Baltimore prosecutors moved to vacate his conviction — though the Maryland Supreme Court reinstated his conviction, and new Baltimore State's Attorney Ivan Bates, who believes Syed is guilty, said he won't try again. _____
