Hogan grants parole for juvenile lifers

In late November, for the first time in 24 years, individuals sentenced to life in a correctional facility for crimes they committed before turning 18 were paroled by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. This shift in policy regarding juvenile lifers is largely unprecedented in Maryland’s recent history.

According to Hogan Administration Deputy Legal Counsel Chris Mincher in an interview with Capital News Service, Hogan had discussed this issue extensively in his original campaign and is a policy that he gives focused attention to.

Hogan’s decision came with the signed approval of the release of two men, Navarus Mayhew and Robert Davis, both who originally held life sentences in jail. He also allowed a third man, Shawn Delco, to be released without his signature, according to the Maryland Parole Commission records.

Many citizens of Maryland view this as a positive change to juvenile lifer policy. “I really think Larry Hogan made a good decision in granting these people parole, it’s very humane and gives these people who made a bad decision a long time ago an opportunity to reinvent themselves,” Winston Churchill junior Vivian Dong said.

There are currently more than 300 individuals sentenced for life, imprisoned for crimes they committed prior to the age of 18 in Maryland facilities, according to the Washington Post. “Sometimes, all people require is a second chance to find a new path,” Dong said.

However, some Maryland residents also view this change in policy as a step back in improving the justice system. “This change is definitely kinder, but it also means that we need to be more careful in how we handle these ex-inmates now that they have more freedom through parole,” Richard Montgomery junior Nikki Shah stated.

To address this concern among Maryland inhabitants, the process of granting parole is carefully being worked out. In 2018, Hogan signed an executive order addressing juvenile lifers specifically, requiring that the governor weigh the same elements as the Maryland Parole Commission when considering parole, as well as the inmate’s age at the time of the offense and any signs of maturity or transformative rehabilitation.

Although the use of parole to free juvenile lifers is not typical, prisoners sentenced to life in prison as both adults and juveniles have been released through other measures of executive clemency, like commutation, which allows the governor to set the terms of release, rather than the parole commission.

Article by Faith Cheung of Richard Montgomery High School

Graphic by Sophia Li of Takoma Park Middle School