The Second Look Act of 2024 allows federal prisoners serving sentences longer than ten years to petition a federal court for a sentence reduction if they have already served at least ten years, pose no danger to public safety, and demonstrate readiness to reenter society. The bill affects approximately 147,920 people currently serving life sentences or virtual life sentences (50 years or longer) in federal prison, with a particular focus on older incarcerated individuals, those convicted of non-violent crimes, and women incarcerated for drug-related offenses. Courts must consider factors including the defendant's age, rehabilitation efforts, institutional conduct, victim impact statements, and family circumstances when deciding whether to reduce a sentence, with prisoners aged 50 and older receiving a rebuttable presumption in favor of release. The bill establishes procedures allowing defendants to file multiple applications for sentence reduction, with at least five years between the first and second applications and two years between subsequent applications. The United States Sentencing Commission must submit annual reports to Congress documenting the number of applications, approvals, denials, and demographic information about those seeking and receiving sentence reductions under this new provision.
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