Allow senior lifers to petition for parole review
My name is James Inge, and I am 64 years of age. I am serving a life sentence at the State Correctional Institution at Graterford. I have been incarcerated for the past 44 years — since the age of 20.
I am writing to seek community support for a modification and an improvement in Pennsylvania’s parole laws that would grant parole review for rehabilitated elderly senior lifers who have been incarcerated for 40 or more years.
Some of these inmates were sentenced at a very young age when they were not mature or educated well enough to understand the law and the possible benefits of accepting a plea bargain. Consequentially, they are now serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for the same crimes for which they were originally offered a lesser sentence if they were to choose not to go to trial.
I have written to all the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives very humbly asking that they support my proposed amendment to the current parole statute. The amended statute should read as follows: “Elderly seniors, age sixty-five (65) or older who are serving a life sentence and who have served at least thirty-five (35) years of that sentence or have reached the age of sixty (60) or older and who have served at least forty (40) years of that sentence, may petition the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole for parole review.”
Research shows that a 40-year minimum sentence is on the high end of sentencing for murderers in comparison to those sentences given for murderers in many states. Additionally, a 40-year minimum could particularly target offenders sentenced to life in prison before the age of 25. A sentence of 40 years is an extremely lengthy sentence. Taking into account the necessity to give an offender this type of a sentence at such a young age should urge the parole board to consider whether or not immaturity played a role in a commission of a crime for many cases that happened more than four decades ago.
Considering that members of the Senate and House of Representatives remain aware of the situation faced by people who committed murder as a young adult, especially of those who have made great strides in maturity and decision-making over the years, and of the tremendous costs — in human and financial terms — of continued incarceration with no possibility of parole.
In the spirit of criminal justice sentencing reform, I am asking that you write, fax or email —
The Honorable Joseph A. Petrarca
Chairman Judiciary Committee
PA House of Representatives 239 Longfellow Street Vandergrift, PA 15690 Phone: 724-567-6982 Fax: 724-567-0006 — to express support for a legislative amendment to the current parole statute. That would make it possible to grant parole review for rehabilitated elderly lifers who have been incarcerated for 40 or more years.
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