SENATE DOCKET, NO. 447        FILED ON: 1/13/2009

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1854

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act relative to the punishment for murder..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 49 of chapter 127 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2000 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word "facility," in line 21, the following words:- ; provided, further, that no person serving a sentence for murder in the second degree shall be eligible for education, training or employment programs established outside a correctional facility before the expiration of 22 years of such sentence.

SECTION 2. Section 90A of said chapter 127, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 18 to 20, inclusive, the words "and, provided further, that no committed offender who has been convicted of murder in the first degree shall be eligible for temporary release under the provisions of this section", and inserting in place thereof the following:- provided further, that no committed offender who has been convicted of murder in the first degree shall be eligible for temporary release under the provisions of this section; and provided further, that no committed offender who has been convicted of murder in the second degree shall be eligible before the expiration of 22 years of such sentence.

SECTION 3. Section 133A of said chapter 127, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 6, the word "fifteen" and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- 25.