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What Are Your Options? Ask an SB 1437 Lawyer in Orange CA

If you have heard of the recent changes to the felony murder law in California, and you or a loved one has been convicted and sentenced according to it, then you may wonder: What are your options? The best way to get a direct answer to your specific questions is to contact an SB 1437 lawyer in Orange CA for a free legal consultation by calling Chambers Law Firm at 714-760-4088. You can also read on for more details.

The New Criteria for Felony Murder Conviction Are Retroactive

Advocates for fairer sentencing were successful in getting the requirements for felony murder sentencing changed. They were even more successful in one important one: The law is now retroactive. This means that even a person convicted and sentenced a decade ago can benefit from these changes. Today at least one of the following must be proven true for the felony murder rule to be applicable.

  1. They actually killed a person.
  2. They acted with intent to kill. For example, they helped or encouraged the killer.
  3. They were a major participant in the crime and acted with reckless indifference to human life.
  4. The murder victim was an on-duty police officer and the defendant knew (or reasonably should have known) that they were a police officer.

Likewise, if a person was already sentenced in relation to the felony murder law, and their crime does not fall into one of those categories, they may be eligible for resentencing.

Thousands of People Could Be Affected by SB 1437

Though the law was only recently implemented and the long-term results cannot yet be known, it appears that thousands of people may be eligible to have their sentences shortened. It is hard to estimate for three reasons:

  1. The law is too new to know how the courts will rule on certain aspects of it.
  2. There are no “felony murder law” stats kept by the state so there is no reliable way to know for sure how many people have been convicted under previous laws.
  3. We do not know how many people will know to contact an SB 1437 lawyer in Orange CA.

The truth is that many people may simply not be aware that they are eligible to be released for prison or have their sentence reduced. It is to the benefit of the state to disseminate the information, as the average prison costs the state $80,000 per day, but only time will show how well covered the changes will be.

Call Us Today for a Free Initial Consultation with an SB 1437 Lawyer in Orange CA

This process is not an overnight one. It takes time and the sooner you reach out to an SB 1437 lawyer in Orange CA, the sooner you can get the process started. At Chambers Law Firm we are standing by to help assess your case and discover if it makes sense to file for a sentence reduction. Contact us now at 714-760-4088 for a free initial consultation.

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