Great news for many people serving long sentences and their families– the Second Look Act is progressing in the General Assembly. The bill has not yet passed into law, but did pass the House of Delegates and the Maryland Senate in slightly different forms. If both chambers pass a bill with the same language, it then goes to the Governor to sign. If the bill passes with different language, then the two chambers must work out those differences if the bill is to pass and go to Gov. Moore for consideration.
The bill would apply to anyone under 25 years of age but over 17 years at the time of the offense (unless that person is serving life without parole or has a sex offense conviction); 20 years of day-for-day prison time is the length of time served needed to request a hearing. If you request a hearing, one must be scheduled. A recent amendment in the Senate removes from consideration any person sentenced for murder when a first-responder (such as a police officer) died.
Otherwise, the bill mirrors the Juvenile Restoration Act, with the court required to consider various factors such progress in prison and mental health evaluations to determine if the person poses a threat to public safety.
This bottom line: this bill would allow person who has served 20 years and was young at the time - but not a juvenile - to request a hearing, beginning in October of 2025; the court is required to hold a hearing, unlike other commons options for sentence review such as a motion to modify sentence or a petition for drug treatment (Health General 8-505/507).
The bill can be found here:
https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0853T.pdf