Title
Recognizing Commonwealth v. Derek Lee (2026), the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's landmark decision striking down Pennsylvania's outdated felony murder law; and calling on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass SB387 reforming Pennsylvania's unconstitutional felony murder law
Body
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania mandates lifetime imprisonment without the possibility of parole for individuals convicted of Second-Degree Murder regardless of their level of involvement in said murder. Known as "felony murder," more than 1,100 Pennsylvanians are currently serving life sentences under this crime statute; and
WHEREAS, Nearly half of felony murder convicts in Pennsylvania are over 50 years old, many having served decades in prison. This rigid sentencing structure denies any consideration of rehabilitation, change, or individual circumstances. It disproportionately impacts communities of color and contributes to excessive incarceration without improving public safety, consigning those convicted to "death by incarceration"; and
WHEREAS, Under current law, a person who never took a life could be sentenced to death by incarceration simply because they were present during a crime that resulted in a tragic death. At its most absurd and unjust, Pennsylvania's felony murder law could result in the individual who committed the murder attaining a reduced sentence based off a claim of provocation, while the person simply present at the scene of the crime has no extenuating legal claim to reduce their sentence from life without parole; and
WHEREAS, The need for reform is clear, which is why bipartisan legislation has been repeatedly introduced before the Pennsylvania General Assembly to reform the state's felony murder law by establishing individualized review for felony murder, and allowing for parole eligibility after 25 years. SB387, the latest iteration of such actions, now takes on a new sense of urgency; and
WHEREAS, On March 26, 2026, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in...
Click here for full text