House Public Safety Vice Chair Rep. Sandra Feist’s Statement on Minnesota Ban on Juvenile Life Without Parole

NEWS RELEASE 

Rep. Sandra Feist 

Minnesota House of Representatives 

District 39B – 651-296-4331 – rep.sandra.feist@house.mn.gov 

5th Floor, Centennial Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

CONTACT: Marlee Schlegel 

marlee.schlegel@house.mn.gov 

(651) 296-9873 

July 16, 2025 

House Public Safety Vice Chair Rep. Sandra Feist’s Statement on Minnesota Ban on Juvenile Life Without Parole 

SAINT PAUL, MINN. -- During the 2023 legislative session, the Minnesota Legislature passed a law ending juvenile life without parole, updating Minnesota statute to reflect the United States Supreme Court Decisions in Miller v. Alabama and Jackson v. Hobbs that declared Juvenile Life Without Parole (JLWOP) unconstitutional. 

Rep. Sandra Feist (DFL – New Brighton) authored the legislation that was ultimately passed as part of the final 2023-2024 Public Safety budget bill. She currently serves as co-vice chair of the House Public Safety committee and was vice chair when the bill was passed.  

“In passing this law, the legislature brought Minnesota in line with majority of the states, both red and blue, that have updated their laws to reflect these court decisions,” said Rep. Feist. “No one should have to spend their entire life behind bars for something they were convicted of as a child when they've spent decades being rehabilitated. The Supreme Court of the United States agrees, and now Minnesota statute reflects that decision.” 

Nationally, similar legislation ending Juvenile Life Without Parole has transcended partisan lines, with 28 states having banned JLWOP as of 2025. In the Minnesota Legislature, efforts for rehabilitation in the criminal justice system through this bill have been met with similar bipartisan support.  

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