The Forgotten Middle

• In Event: Second Look Resentencing Developments

Abstract

In recent years, look-back resentencing reforms have focused on revisiting lengthy sentences for individuals convicted of crimes during their youth or revisiting sentences for those who have reached a certain advanced age. The reasoning behind these reforms primarily focuses on the realities of adolescent brain development and evidence of “aging out” of criminal activity.
This presentation seeks to address the lack of resentencing options available to all those in the middle – adults who are sentenced to lengthy terms in prison for offenses from their adulthood but who have not yet reached an advanced age. This paper will compare existing resentencing reform approaches, consider the pressing need for resentencing mechanisms for the “forgotten middle,” and explore options to pursue such reforms.

Author

• Lisa Waters, CUNY School of Law