by WorldTribune Staff, December 28, 2025 Real World News

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that life sentences without the possibility of parole for young offenders is unconstitutional.

As a result of the ruling, the Boston Herald reported that the Massachusetts Parole Board released 39 convicted murderers who were initially sentenced to life without parole as “emerging adults,” defined as those aged 18 to 20 at the time of their crimes.

Among those granted parole is Allen Alston, who at age 19 shot and killed taxi driver Ismael Rivera in Brockton. Alston was arrested in South Carolina five months after the murder, where he confessed to the crime.

Another parolee, Roger Francis, was 20 when he shot and killed 15-year-old Marialice Pike in 1967, later fleeing to Canada. The evidence against him was damning, including bloodstains linking him to the scene.

“Victims and their families deserve protection and transparency in these decisions,” stated Bristol District Attorney Thomas Quinn III. He expressed concerns about the board’s perception of the ruling as a ticket to freedom for defendants convicted of heinous crimes.

“We’re turning the parole option into an eventual get-out-of-jail-free card,” warned Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz. His comments underline a growing sentiment among law enforcement that the board’s approach fails to adequately consider the pain inflicted on victims’ families.

“The Supreme Judicial Court’s decision in Commonwealth v. Mattis requires that individuals serving life for offenses committed at ages 18, 19, or 20 be afforded an opportunity for parole consideration, and the Parole Board is obligated to comply,” a Massachusetts Parole Board spokesperson said in a statement. “These complex cases require careful deliberation to protect public safety, ensure the voices of victims and survivors are heard, and evaluate an incarcerated individual’s rehabilitation and readiness for supervised release.

“Guided by legal standards, established criteria, and best practices, the Board makes decisions that reflect accountability, rehabilitation, and public safety,” the board spokesperson added. “The Parole Board remains deeply committed to transparency and a process that respects victims and survivors while fulfilling its constitutional and statutory obligations.”

Another 159 convicted murderers could now be eligible for release, reports said.

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  Killers freed as Massachusetts ends life without parole for ’emerging adults’, WorldTribune.com