Prisoners serving life terms for crimes they committed as juveniles would face a new minimum sentence in Nebraska, under a bill set for a hearing in the Legislature.
Sen. Brad Ashford of Omaha will present the measure Friday to the Legislature's Judiciary Committee.
The bill was introduced in the wake of last year's U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Miller v. Alabama, which prohibited life-without-parole sentences for crimes committed by juveniles.
In November, the Nebraska Pardons Board scheduled commutation hearings for life-prisoners who committed their crimes in juveniles. A judge later blocked the hearings after advocates raised concerns that the board was trying to subvert the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling.
The bill as-written does not specify a minimum prison term before an inmate becomes eligible for parole.
The bill is LB44
