This session will focus on “Second Look Sentencing” reforms that seek to provide individuals with the opportunity for resentencing or a sentence reduction after they have served a certain amount of time in prison.

20^th Annual State Criminal Justice Network Conference
August 18-20, 2021 | Held Virtually

Ending mass incarceration will require changing sentencing policies and practices. But where are we now and what impact will COVID-19 have? Learn about varies state sentencing reform efforts, as well as release options during the COVID-19 pandemic and what states can do moving forward as a result of the pandemic.

NACDL's 19th Annual State Criminal Justice Network Conference
August 17-19, 2020 | Held Virtually

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.

Recording of Legislating Freedom: The Importance of a Second Look, co-hosted by NACDL and The Sentencing Project during Second Chance Month 2022. 

It has become increasingly clear that any meaningful effort to turn the tide of mass incarceration must grapple with the epidemic of extreme sentences that has taken hold of the United States prison system.

On December 10, 2020, NACDL released its model “Second Look” sentencing legislation and accompanying report – Second Look = Second Chance: Turning the Tide Through NACDL’s Model “Second Look” Legislation. The NACDL model legislation provides a vehicle that legislatures can use to safely reduce the number of individuals serving excessive, counter-productive sentences: guaranteeing all incarcerated individuals a “Second Look” once they have spent at least a decade in prison. [Released December 2020; Revised Edition Released June 2021]

Additional resources on second look sentencing.

Letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul in support of legislative efforts in New York that seek to abolish mandatory minimums, allow judges to reconsider excessive sentences after a specified amount of time, and strengthen "good time" and "merit time" laws in order to mitigate the drivers and consequences of the trial penalty. 

NACDL advocates for the adoption of second look sentencing legislation in New York.

We respectfully submit the following comments on the Commission’s tentative priorities for the amendment cycle ending May 1, 2023, with a particular focus on the implementation of the First Step Act of 2018. … In this current cycle, we welcome the Commission’s focus on the decarceration focus of the First Step Act, as well as all efforts to reduce the rate of incarceration in federal cases, the size and racial disparities of our federal incarcerated population, and the guideline rigidity that discourages or limits the recognition of each offender’s humanity and redemptive potential.

NACDL is working with a coalition of advocates in Michigan to draft and propose second look legislation in the state.

In December 2020, NACDL released model legislation and an accompanying report discussing “second look” legislation. The proposed legislation is a fully developed draft bill for consideration by the states.