On July 24th, 2026, the Pennsylvania General Assembly missed the deadline set by the state Supreme Court to rewrite the mandatory life without parole sentencing guidelines for second degree murder convictions. In March, the Supreme Court ruled mandatory life without parole sentences for second degree murder to be unconstitutional and gave lawmakers 120 days to create alternative sentencing guidelines. Now that the 120 days have passed without any new bills, the futures of the 1,100 people serving unconstitutional sentences are uncertain.
Cherri Gregg spoke with State Representative Andre D. Carroll, member of the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee and one of the co-sponsors of HB 1042, one of two bills passed by state legislation to provide sentencing guidance for second degree murder convictions. Carroll discussed where negotiations failed, if and how a bill could be passed, and what happens if legislature can’t pass new sentencing guidelines.
Dying on the Inside: Women Lifers at Muncy Prison is a production of Create. Genius. Media and Temple University's Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting.
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