Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday is urging the state House to act before a July 24 deadline to address sentencing for second-degree murder convictions.
Earlier this year, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for felony murder are unconstitutional. The Senate has already approved a bipartisan bill creating a new sentencing structure and parole process, but the House has yet to act.
Sunday says without new legislation, courts could be left without sentencing guidelines, and some inmates currently serving life sentences could seek resentencing and potentially be released without victims having meaningful input.
About 1,100 inmates in Pennsylvania are serving life sentences for second-degree murder.
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