Second look controversy of criminal justice reform has been moving at a breakneck speed, and among the most profound changes has been through “second look” law. They allow courts to reopen and, in certain instances, reduce sentences years later on. They’re liberating individuals from crime, mending families, and reshaping communities in ways previously unthinkable. Whether you put criminal justice on the front page or simply like a good second-chance story, these reforms are redefining what justice can be in America. Below is a top 10 countdown of the most effective second look policies remaking the system.
10. Prosecutor-Initiated Resentencing (PIR) – California and Beyond
Prosecutors used to be infamous for pleading for tougher sentences, but California in 2018 assigned them a new mandate: force multipliers of fairness. The state pioneered allowing prosecutors to recommend shorter sentences for offenders already serving long prison terms. Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Minnesota, and Utah have followed. Over 1,000 offenders have been resentenced under PIR, with nearly half of them in California alone. Legislatures in several more states are considering similar legislation, and the American Bar Association has advocated adoption of the policy across the nation. It’s a powerful message that justice is not merely punishing individuals—it’s also about balance and healing.
9. Elderly Compassionate Release – District of Columbia and Federal System
Jails across the country are full of old men and women who pose a threat to society in some minimal or none way. Assuming jail wouldn’t be an ideal place for them, the District of Columbia and federal system created elderly compassionate release mechanisms. In D.C., any person age 60 and older with 20 years of service is eligible, and the federal First Step Act permits individuals to petition for themselves. During 2019-2023, close to 5,000 federal inmates were released. Such changes reflect an understanding that prolonged incarceration of older individuals is rarely in the public good.
8. Review of Sentences for Domestic Violence Survivors – New York and Oklahoma
A majority of prisoners are also survivors of trauma which was undervalued in court as well. New York legalized it for domestic violence victims to ask for a new review if abuse had been present within their case in 2019. Oklahoma replicated the bill in 2024. Already, in New York alone, 58 people had been resentenced as of February of 2024. This is a reform that acknowledges the justice system must view the whole picture—scars of abuse and all—before sending a person to prison for decades.
7. Resentencing of Military Service Members and Veterans – California
Military service inflicts deep-seated wounds: PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and other challenges of serving. California in 2018 moved with a bill that gave veterans and members of the military a chance to file for resentencing if their issues were not addressed during trials. The bill is retroactive in application but exempts the most violent crimes. With so many veterans in California prisons, this adjustment holds them in respect for their sacrifices and accounts their service towards the conversation of justice.
6. Second Look for Habitual Offender Sentences – Colorado
“Three strikes” and such policies have led to many individuals serving very, very long sentences. Colorado’s 2023 reform is committed to erasing that stigma. Starting in 2033, individuals who have served 10 or more of a 24-year-and-over sentence will be eligible to petition for a reduction. Although eligibility will not materialize for many years, the bill is a positive development toward closing the gap between the worst impacts of habitual offender provisions and the ideal of proportionate sentencing.
5. Comprehensive Second Chance for Young Adults – District of Columbia and Maryland
Research suggests the brain keeps on developing through the mid-20s, and thus young adults are very likely to mature out of crime. Most recently, D.C. gave anyone who was convicted at or younger than age 25 a chance to petition for review after 15 years. Maryland will also do it in 2025 for people aged 18 to 24 who have spent at least 20 years behind bars. More than 600 Marylanders will be eligible. These developments reflect a growing feeling that youthful mistakes shouldn’t carry long-lasting consequences for life.
4. Retroactive Youth Sentence Reviews – Delaware and Maryland
Delaware and Maryland both enacted broad reforms to provide hope to youths who were sentenced as children. Delaware abolished juvenile life without parole in 2013 and now provides reviews after 20 or 30 years. Maryland’s Juvenile Restoration Act prohibits such sentences outright and allows those who were convicted of crimes at age 18 or younger and have served no less than 20 years to petition for reductions. During its first year, 23 individuals were released after hearing. Such legislation is reshaping the future of individuals once informed they would never return home.
3. Connecticut’s Broad Second Look Law and Gaylord Salters’ Case
Connecticut’s 2021 legislation is the most comprehensive in the country. It permits individuals with shorter sentences to have review requested and even longer sentences reviewed, if prosecutors agree. Gaylord Salters’ case shows the possibility. He was sentenced to 24 years and served 19 years before being let out under the law. In prison, he started a publishing company and counseled; on release, he has promised to build stronger communities. His case shows how second glance legislation can bring out strength prison walls cannot hold.
2. The Federal First Step Act and Expansion of Compassionate Release
When the First Step Act passed in 2018, it revolutionized compassionate release at the federal level. Instead of waiting for the Bureau of Prisons—a slow-moving bureaucracy—a person could now petition on their own behalf. The U.S. Sentencing Commission eventually expanded the ranges of release, from outdated sentences to sexual abuse by correctional officers. From 2019 to 2023, nearly 5,000 people secured their release, COVID-19 putting pressure on the process. This reform has been a lifeline to those whose sentences no longer fit today’s understanding of justice.
1. Building Better Second Look Laws for the Future
Others argue the next move is to strengthen and standardize second look laws. That means broadening eligibility, making it retroactive, granting courts unambiguous power to reconsider even obligatory sentences, and shortening wait times between reviews. It also means requiring counsel to be made available, requiring the process to involve victims of crime, and requiring judges to issue written opinions. We know from studies that most people grow out of crime and that only those released after long sentences hardly ever once more are in prison. The wisest legislation sees that reality—that men can reform and that justice has to be generous enough to allow for it.