Legislative Advocacy
Legislative advocacy is essential for transformation. Sustainable change happens when policy aligns with justice, centers the voices of those impacted, and holds systems accountable. Advocacy turns vision into action—and action into lasting reform.
H 1977/S 1179: An Act Relative to Proportionality in Joint Venture Sentencing
This bill would amend joint venture law to promote proportionality, due process, and individualized accountability. Sponsored by Representatives Liz Miranda and Lindsay Sabadosa.
Driven by Fairness
This bill would separate the offense of murder from the offense of accomplice murder, allowing for an individualized determination of culpability for each person accused of having a role in community harm. A murder charge would require a finding that the accused was directly responsible for a death. The separate charge of accomplice murder would be punishable by a sentence between 2.5 and 25 years in prison. This change would address several of problems within the joint venture theory.
Proportionality
The availability of a sentencing range would allow judges to make individualized sentencing determinations based on the accused’s conduct and circumstances, therefore aligning the law with the principle of proportionality.
Notice
The separation of murder from accomplice murder would give defendants notice of the allegations against them, unlike prosecutions under the joint venture theory that leave the accused in the dark.
Racial Justice
The availability of a sentencing range would also eliminate a prosecutor’s ability to impose life and life-without-parole sentences without proving both an act that caused death and intent to cause death, leaving less room for biases to influence charging and jury determinations.
Accountability
A sentencing range rather than mandatory death-by-incarceration creates more space for people who have caused harm to participate in accountability-based practices like restorative and transformative justice. These practices can promote healing for both people who have caused harm and people who have lost loved ones to violence.
