{"id":241206,"date":"2026-02-13T15:12:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T20:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=241206"},"modified":"2026-02-18T10:59:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T15:59:34","slug":"uconn-research-informs-policy-debate-on-expanding-juvenile-parole-eligibility-in-connecticut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/02\/uconn-research-informs-policy-debate-on-expanding-juvenile-parole-eligibility-in-connecticut\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn Research Informs Policy Debate on Expanding Juvenile Parole Eligibility in Connecticut"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than a decade after Miller v. Alabama, <\/em>2012, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles are unconstitutional, Connecticut is once again examining how it sentences young people.<\/p>\n

Sukhmani Singh<\/a>, assistant professor at the UConn School of Social Work, led a participatory, multi-method research project and her work is helping shape this timely conversation.<\/p>\n

On Feb. 11, Singh, along with UConn research affiliate and incoming doctoral student Fernando Valenzuela, and their community co-researcher, James Jeter, presented their findings to the Connecticut Sentencing Commission<\/a>. Specifically, their study was an examination of the experiences of beneficiaries of Public Act No. 15-84<\/a>, the state\u2019s 2015 law that created parole eligibility opportunities for individuals serving lengthy sentences for crimes committed as minors. Data included both qualitative interviews that Singh and Valenzuela conducted, as well as secondary, administrative data provided by the Board of Pardons and Parole<\/a> on people released through 15-84.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should note that internationally, the United States is the only nation in the world that still says it\u2019s OK to sentence children to life in prison.\u201d \u2014Sukhmani Singh<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Singh, who is also affiliate faculty with the Center on Community Safety, Policing and Inequality at the UConn School of Law, served as principal investigator of the two-year study, which was funded by the Connecticut Sentencing Commission.<\/p>\n

Their 83-page report,\u202f\u201cReentry After a Life Behind Bars: A Participatory, Mixed-Methods Approach to Understanding the Experiences of PA 15-84 Beneficiaries in Connecticut after Miller v. Alabama<\/em><\/a>\u201d\u202fsheds light on the experiences of people who received long or life sentences for crimes committed before age 18 and later became eligible for parole under 15-84.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should note that internationally, the United States is the only nation in the world that still says it\u2019s OK to sentence children to life in prison,\u201d Singh told the Commission.<\/p>\n

As of January 2025, 123 individuals in Connecticut had been released from prison under Public Act 15-84. At the time of their offenses, they were approximately 17 years old on average, 99.2% male, and 96.7% people of color. Most had received total effective sentences of about 30 years for offenses including murder, manslaughter, or felony murder.<\/p>\n

The quantitative findings show positive reentry outcomes:<\/p>\n