Press Release: Maryland Governor Signs SB162, Building on 2021 JLWOP Abolition and Reaffirming That No Child is Irredeemable
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 13, 2026
Media Contact: Adam Kemerer | [email protected]
May 13, 2026 – Yesterday, the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY) celebrated Governor Wes Moore’s signing of SB162, which expands review eligibility for children serving lengthy sentences in Maryland. The bipartisan bill affirms that review provisions contained in Maryland’s Juvenile Restoration Act (JRA) apply to children sentenced after October 1, 2021, ensuring that all people sent to prison in Maryland for offenses committed when they were under 18 years of age receive the opportunity for sentencing review.
Passed in 2021, the JRA enables Maryland judges to review the sentences of individuals who committed offenses while under 18 who were sentenced prior to October 1, 2021. With the signature of SB162, now all children in Maryland have this opportunity. The JRA also prohibited children from being sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, making Maryland the 25th state to ban the practice. Today, 28 states and the District of Columbia ban life without the possibility of parole for children.
“As a resident of Maryland who was also sent to prison as a child, I’m grateful that my state has signed SB162 into law,” said Eddie Ellis, Co-Director of Outreach & Member Services at CFSY. “We’ve now stated loud and clear that no child is irredeemable and unworthy of sentencing review. This technical fix to the Juvenile Restoration Act ensures that children will have the opportunity to have their sentences reviewed after 20 years. This gives them hope at the start of their sentences, with every child having the opportunity to demonstrate their growth just as I did.”
“We would like to thank our partners in Maryland, especially survivors of youth violence, formerly incarcerated youth, and their families, who fought to ensure no child in Maryland is imprisoned without hope,” said Crystal Carpenter, Chief Operations Officer at CFSY. “We applaud this bipartisan success in the Maryland General Assembly. We are especially grateful for our bill sponsors Senator Chris West and Delegate Sean A. Stinnett, and Governor Wes Moore for ensuring that all children sentenced to extreme sentences will have meaningful opportunities for review.”
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The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth is a nonprofit that leads efforts to ban life-without-parole and other extreme sentences for children, and supports those incarcerated as children who are released after serving long sentences to lead and thrive.
For more information, or if you would like to arrange an interview, please contact Adam Kemerer at [email protected]
