The California Catholic Conference chose passage of SB 399 as a top priority this year, and on April 28th over 700 Catholics from around the state came to Sacramento to meet with legislators and urge support for fair sentencing for youth.  Steve Pehanich, CCC’s senior director for advocacy and education, noted the importance of having so many voters at the capital.  “When people from their home districts come all the way to Sacramento to visit, [legislators] know it’s important,” said Pehanich. The CCC concludes that “young people — even those serving life sentences — have the capacity to change for the better. SB 399 would still allow juveniles to be sentenced to life in prison, but they would have the opportunity for parole consideration. If an offender had matured and proven him/herself to have changed, there would be the opportunity to earn parole. The Catholic approach leads us to encourage models of restorative justice that address crime in terms of the harm done to the victims and communities — not simply as a violation of the law.”