People v. Williams

Opinion of the Court by Jenkins, J.

Under California’s youth offender parole statute (Pen. Code,1 § 3051), certain persons incarcerated for crimes committed at a young age may be eligible for early release on parole. One factor relevant to the decision to release is the offender’s amenability to rehabilitation based on recognized attributes of youth. Section 3051, however, expressly excludes certain groups from its purview, including defendants convicted of forcible sexual offenses and sentenced under the One Strike law (§ 667.61). (§ 3051, subd. (h) (§ 3051(h)).) By contrast, those convicted of murder (aside from young adults convicted of special circumstance murder) are not categorically excluded. (People v. Hardin (2024) 15 Cal.5th 834, 843 (Hardin).) Defendant Jeremiah Ira Williams was sentenced to an indeterminate prison term of 100 years to life plus 86 years two months for One Strike offenses he committed when he was 24 years old. Defendant contends that by categorically excluding young adults convicted of One Strike offenses, but not young adults convicted of murder without special circumstance, from the possibility of early release, section 3051 violates the equal…