Minnesota juveniles convicted of the most violent crimes could soon get out of prison earlier.

A proposal in the Senate Omnibus Public Safety Bill would give juveniles who were sentenced to life in prison as an adult a chance to petition the court for early release under certain conditions.

Right now, minors can be sentenced to life in prison in Minnesota and are eligible for parole after serving 30 years of that sentence.

Under Senate File 2909, authored by Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, a juvenile serving that maximum sentence could ask a judge to consider early release if the offender has served at least 15 years of their sentence.

Latz told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS it would not be an automatic release from prison after 15 years, but the opportunity would exist for parole if the juvenile offender has shown true remorse and has worked at a rehabilitation program imposed by the court.

“And then a judge will make a decision,” Latz said. “Have you shown sufficient promise of rehabilitation, understanding what you did was wrong, the possibility of not committing new offenses and have you aged out in a lot of ways?”

Opponents of the idea, such as Sen. Mark Koran, R-North Branch, said releasing a kid who was sentenced as an adult for a violent crime, such as murder or aggravated assault, should serve most of that time behind bars.

“Those are the types of crimes that deserve 30 years,” Koran said. “Yes, they’re minors when the crime was committed, but it’s so heinous they were charged as an adult and then prosecuted and convicted as an adult.”

The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association represents thousands of law enforcement officers statewide.

MPPOA attorney Imran Ali told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS the association does not oppose early release for juveniles, but tit does want strong conditions in place to make sure they do not return to a dangerous lifestyle and commit more violent crimes.

“What are we going to do when they are incarcerated, first of all?” said Ali.  “And then second of all, what are we doing, or what do we have in place for them, in the community, so that when they don’t recidivate and so they can continue as adults now in a productive society?”

Latz said the provision of his bill is part of the Omnibus Public Safety Bill that was passed by the Senate, and he expects the House to approve it later this week as well.