NACDL - Second Look = Second Chance: The Case for Reconsidering Lengthy & Other Extreme Sentences

Second Look = Second Chance: The Case for Reconsidering Lengthy & Other Extreme Sentences

Recording and resources for Second Look = Second Chance: The Case for Reconsidering Lengthy & Other Extreme Sentences, a webinar hosted by NACDL on March 11, 2021.

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Documents

Second-Look-Webinar-Slides.pdf

While many individuals are behind bars for only a short time, the backbone of mass incarceration is people serving very lengthy sentences – often decades-long, and far longer than they would serve for comparable crimes elsewhere in the world. Society’s emerging recognition that it has over-used imprisonment is exemplified in a wide range of changes at the front end: reducing the potential for individuals to enter the criminal justice system. However, to tackle the problem of mass incarceration at its core, reforms must also target those currently experiencing incarceration.

This webinar brings together practitioners and advocates for a discussion on “Second Look Sentencing,” an emerging legislative trend that seeks to provide individuals with the opportunity for resentencing or a sentence reduction after they have served a certain amount of time in prison. Panelists discuss “Second Look” legislative efforts to enact reforms nationwide, and NACDL’s model “Second Look Sentencing” legislation and accompanying report. Watch the webinar recording to gain a better understanding of how adopting a “Second Look” model can safely reduce the number of individuals serving excessive, counterproductive sentences and turn the tide of mass incarceration.