NC House approves bill to comply with Supreme Court decision
July 2, 2012 | Audrey Fannin
The North Carolina House has approved legislation to get the state into compliance with a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on the sentences of minors convicted of murder. The high court ruled that states cannot automatically give sentences of life without parole to minors.
North Carolina is one of the nearly 30 states where life without parole is the only option for certain types of murder. The ruling allows 88 convicts in North Carolina to appeal their sentences.
House members voted 111-6 Monday in favor of the bill to comply with the decision. The Senate is expected to vote on it Tuesday. The new minimum sentence would be 25 years before a chance at parole. The bill was also amended to lessen convictions for murders without premeditation.
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