Sexton v. State
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Summary

In this Maryland state case, the court reversed the denial of Sexton’s sentence reduction request. It found the judge wrongly deferred to the parole board instead of weighing his youth, addiction history, & rehabilitation under JUVRA.

2023 | State Juristiction

Sexton v. State

Keywords Maryland; Sexton; sentence reduction; JUVRA; parole board; youth; addiction; rehabilitation; judge; court
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Case Summary

The Maryland appellate court overturned the lower court's denial of Sexton's motion for sentence reduction. The appellate court determined that the lower court improperly deferred to the parole board's recommendation, failing to independently assess the mitigating factors of Sexton's youth, history of addiction, and demonstrated rehabilitation in accordance with the Juvenile Restoration Act (JUVRA).

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Maryland Case Reversal on Sentence Reduction

The Maryland court overturned the denial of Sexton's request for a reduced sentence. The ruling determined the judge improperly delegated the decision-making authority to the parole board. Instead, the court emphasized the judge should have independently considered factors such as Sexton's youth, history of addiction, and demonstrated rehabilitation efforts, as mandated by the Juvenile Rehabilitation and Violent Crime Act (JUVRA).

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Maryland Case Reversal

A Maryland court overturned the rejection of Sexton's request for a shorter sentence. The court determined the judge improperly relied on the parole board's decision, failing to adequately consider Sexton's age, history of addiction, and progress in rehabilitation programs as required by the Juvenile Violent Crime Reform Act (JUVRA).

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The Case of Sexton's Sentence

A Maryland court decided that Sexton should get a shorter prison sentence. The judge made a mistake by letting the parole board decide instead of thinking about how young Sexton was, his problems with addiction, and how well he'd been doing in his rehabilitation program. The court said the judge should have considered all of this under a special law called JUVRA.

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Footnotes and Citation

Cite

298 A.3d 1018 (2023)

Highlights