Md. juvenile lifers could be considered for minimum-security, work-release programs in policy shift

Maryland inmates who are serving parole-eligible life sentences for crimes they committed as juveniles may now be considered for minimum-security and pre-release facilities under a new state policy — which means they could be allowed to participate in work-release programs in the community.

Public Safety Secretary Stephen T. Moyer this month reversed rules that for two decades barred any Maryland lifer from being placed in a facility that is below medium-security.

The change comes in response to recent Supreme Court decisions on juvenile life sentences, according to a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. The court has found that mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles violate the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.

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