SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A bill that will be heard on the Assembly floor next week would open a pathway for inmates serving life sentences a chance at freedom.

SB 94, authored by Democrat Senator Dave Cortese, would allow inmates who were convicted before June 5, 1990 and have served at least 25 years to petition a judge to reconsider the possibility of parole.

The law would not guarantee an inmate’s release, but it would help people who have experienced rehabilitation while behind bars to have an opportunity to make a case for a second chance on the outside.

This law would help people like Joseph Bell, who was imprisoned in the 1990s for his role in a murder and robbery charge, despite not committing the killing.

“My two friends got in a fight and one got the best of the other one. One died and me being young and stupid — we took all his stuff, so that’s why I got convicted of robbery and it’s one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made,” Bell said.

While in prison, Bell became a mentor for at-risk youth. His work to rehabilitate himself led to former Gov. Jerry Brown commuting his life sentence. Bell now works as a case manager and helps people released from prison transition back to society.

“I felt purpose in prison and my thought back then was, ‘if I die in prison, I want my son to remember me for doing something positive even though I was locked up,’” Bell shared.

It is people like Bell that SB 94 is designed to benefit.

“It allows them to go back to court and have a judge review their case to see if after decades of programming, rehabilitation, of making their amends to society — that they should potentially be re-sentenced to a life in prison sentence with a possibility of parole,” said Daniel Trautfield, the project director for the SB 94 Coalition.

There are several exceptions to SB 94: anyone convicted of three or more killings, convicted of killing a peace officer, anyone convicted of several different sexual offenses, along with several other circumstances with the conviction.

If SB 94 passes, it would allow people serving life without parole to go in front of a judge to have their LWOP sentence reevaluated. It would be up to the judge to re-sentence to having an opportunity at parole.

Those who are re-sentenced would still have to go in front of a parole board. The board would then have the final say on if the person should be released.

“SB 94 doesn’t guarantee or even can release anyone from court — simply it allows the judge to decide if someone’s LWOP sentence remains in the interest of justice,” Trautfield explained.

Opponents like Republican Assembly member Bill Essayli are fighting to block the measure from reaching Gov. Newsom’s desk.

“This is the worst of the worst and when the families were told this person will never see the light of day and that’s what the juries were told as well … that was a promise made to society and the victims,” Essayli said.

For Bell, he understands the fears some may have of releasing people who were given life sentences, however he knows many of those in prison can change and become valuable members to society.

“Let’s give them a second chance. Let’s see where they’re at now as opposed to 30 years ago,” Bell adds.

If SB 94 passes on the Assembly floor next week, it would land on the governor’s desk, who would have until mid-October to make the final decision.

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