At 14, I was sentenced to 35 years to life in an adult prison for my role in my mother’s murder. After exhausting all other options, I am seeking the commutation of my sentence to life on parole.
Jamie Silvonek, who admitted helping her soldier boyfriend murder her mother when she was 14, is seeking to have her 35-years-to-life sentence changed to a term that would allow her to leave prison much sooner.
With every other appeal option exhausted, Silvonek, now 24, is seeking commutation, a process that could eventually end with the governor of Pennsylvania signing her release papers.
Riya Saha Shah and Marsha Levick, The Philadelphia Inquirer •
Last week, in a news conference filled with lies and disinformation, President Donald Trump chose to double down on failed policies of the past. In the face of a steeply declining crime wave, the administration has decided to federalize the D.C. police force and call out the National Guard to patrol the D.C. streets and chase down “roving bands of youth.”
A growing body of research shows that juvenile offenders are immature and impulsive. But in spite of landmark Supreme Court rulings, many so-called juvenile lifers are growing old behind bars.
Pennsylvania lawmakers are debating juvenile justice reform proposals aimed at improving Pennsylvania’s approach to supporting youth offenders and holding providers and public officials accountable.
Kylie McGivern, ABC Action News - WFTS Tampa Bay •
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Ian Manuel, sentenced to life in prison in 1991 for attempted murder in a downtown Tampa botched robbery at 14 years old, is now sharing his story as an adult. Manuel is advocating against solitary confinement, where he says he spent 18 years within the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC).
And it’s turning over geolocation data to law enforcement, no warrant required.
Kids in Philly call it being “on the band.” In recent years, the city’s juvenile justice system has rapidly expanded its use of GPS-equipped ankle monitors to enforce curfews and house arrest.
How far should society go in punishing young criminals? Recent cases have reignited the discussion over treating juveniles as adults and giving them harsher penalties for serious crimes. For decades, juvenile justice reform has been a pendulum.
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