Nevada offenders under 18 no longer eligible for life without parole

Nevada became the 13th state on Monday to abolish life-without-parole sentences for those under 18 after Gov. Brian Sandoval signed Assembly Bill 267 into law.

The legislation eliminates the option of sentencing youth to life without parole, which has been a growing trend across the country in recent years, according to the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, a nonprofit advocating for the issue and based in Washington, D.C.

An estimated 12 people in the Silver State will be directly impacted by the new law and will become eligible for parole once the legislation goes into effect Oct. 1, said James Dold, advocacy director for the campaign. The campaign worked closely with Hambrick on the bill and some of its members testified in support of the measure. The number of people affected could go up as the law is implemented.

“Finally, Nevada law has caught up and recognizes that children are different than adults and those differences need to be taken into account,” Dold said Tuesday afternoon.

The main sponsors for the bill included Nevada Assembly Speaker John Hambrick, R-Las Vegas, Nevada Assembly Majority Leader Paul Anderson, R-Las Vegas, and Assemblyman Pat Hickey, R-Reno. The measure passed the state Legislature unanimously.

The law also requires the courts to consider the differences between juvenile and adult offenders when sentencing someone convicted as an adult for an offense committed when that person was younger than 18.

Others states that have adopted similar legislation include Texas, Wyoming, Montana, West Virginia and Colorado.

Contact Yesenia Amaro at yamaro@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440. Find her on Twitter: @yeseniaamaro.