BOLTS magazine published an article titled Waiting for a Second Look. The piece highlights the challenges faced by people who were given lengthy sentences at a young age when seeking relief through D.C.’s landmark law the Second Look Amendment Act (SLAA). Passed in April 2021, the law allows individuals who have served at least 15 years of their sentence and were younger than 25 at the time of their offense to apply for resentencing and potential release.
However, advocates for the law say obstacles and applications are also piling up, raising questions of how much the SLAA will deliver on its unique promise. While hundreds of incarcerated people have begun the process of applying for resentencing, release isn’t guaranteed. They face major hurdles, including prosecutors who have opposed most petitions and COVID-19, which has exacerbated crisis conditions inside the notoriously dysfunctional and violent federal prison system which is where most D.C. citizens are incarcerated.