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Sentencing Reconsideration Act seeks pathway for judges to review long sentences after rehabilitation
Summary
House Bill 5362 would let people serving long prison terms ask a Superior Court judge to reconsider their sentences after 10 years if they demonstrate rehabilitation or present new information.
House Bill 5362, the Sentencing Reconsideration Act, would create a structured means for people serving lengthy sentences to petition the Superior Court for sentence reduction after serving 10 years, provided they present new information and evidence of rehabilitation.
Representative Casimiro introduced the bill as a way to provide a “meaningful review” that the current system lacks once the statutory 120-day window after sentencing has passed. “This legislation provides a structured pathway for sentence reconsideration, emphasizing fairness, rehabilitation, and updated judicial standards,” the sponsor said.
Supporters across multiple panels urged passage. Former Superior Court Judge Judith Savage submitted testimony urging the committee to add the “missing tool” to allow judges to reconsider lengthy sentences where rehabilitation is demonstrable; she said courts lack a mechanism today to revisit sentences imposed a decade earlier. Mario Montero and Freedom Collective members told the committee their own releases demonstrated change over time and urged opportunities for others who have shown rehabilitation.
The Office of the Public Defender signaled support but raised capacity concerns: Megan Jackson said the bill appears workable but warned the public defender's office is managing caseload pressures and that any increase in court-appointed counsel or eligibility determinations would have to be addressed administratively.
The ACLU and other proponents framed the bill as a targeted response to the Oliveira case and sentencing disparities. Attorney Michael DeLauro and a stakeholder working group described revisions from earlier 'second look' proposals, including a 10-year threshold, carve-outs for life-without-parole and mandatory-minimum sentences, and a private-bar counsel model intended to reduce pressure on the public defender's office.
Department of Corrections and corrections staff offered mixed testimony. A DOC captain urged caution on sentencing changes that reintroduce victims to repeated hearings; he said parole and existing incentives already offer mechanisms for earned release. Other corrections and public-safety witnesses expressed concern about reopening finalized sentences without guardrails.
The committee did not take final action; the bill was held for further study under the committee's procedural motion.
