The Philadelphia Inquirer
HARRISBURG — Gov. Corbett signed legislation Thursday that gives Pennsylvania judges options other than life in prison when sentencing juveniles in murder cases.
The law means defendants 14 or younger would serve at least 20 years for second-degree convictions and 25 years for first-degree convictions. Offenders who are 15 to 17 years old would face at least 25 or 35 years.
The measure was spurred by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that recently outlawed mandatory life-without-parole terms for minors.
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