Rep. Dan Howell has backed away from a bill that would shorten the parole eligibility time for those convicted of first-degree murder.
The current eligibility time is 51 years.
The bill would have shortened that to 25 years.
Rep. Howell said, "I don't think the victims of violent crimes will be best served by this legislation.
"I’m very encouraged by proposals to rewrite and reform existing ranges in our criminal sentencing code so that they more accurately reflect time actually served. This will create more efficiency and transparency in sentencing and improve public safety overall.”