Crime Victims United Condemns Passage of SB 672: A Betrayal of Victims and Justice
Crime Victims United strongly condemns the California Senate’s passage of Senate Bill 672 on a 24–11 vote, calling the measure a dangerous rollback of justice that reopens wounds for crime victims and their families.
SB 672 would allow individuals sentenced to life without the possibility of parole (LWOP) for special circumstance murder to become eligible for parole after 25 years, if they were under the age of 26 at the time of the crime. These are not minor or impulsive offenses; they include torture murders, sexual assaults ending in death, hate crimes, killings of children, mass shootings, and assassinations of law enforcement officers or public officials.
“This bill abandons victims and elevates the rights of the most violent offenders in our prison system,” said Nina Salarno, Modoc County District Attorney and former President of Crime Victims United. “These were not teenage mistakes — these were calculated, brutal crimes, and LWOP was the just sentence. SB 672 undoes that.”
Crime Victims United has led vocal opposition to the bill, standing with district attorneys, law enforcement leaders, and grieving families to urge lawmakers to protect the integrity of California’s sentencing system and the dignity of victims.
Under existing law, LWOP is reserved for the state’s most heinous crimes — offenses so severe that even the possibility of parole was deemed inappropriate. SB 672 undermines that finality, giving some of California’s worst killers a new path to release.
“This isn’t about rehabilitation — it’s about rewriting justice,” Salarno said. “Families were promised closure. Now they’re being forced to prepare for parole hearings and relive the trauma they never truly left behind.”
Supporters of SB 672 point to brain development science and rehabilitation potential, but opponents argue that the bill ignores the enduring harm caused to victims’ families and society. The measure offers no exemption for particularly egregious crimes — including murders involving torture, multiple victims, or premeditated executions.
“This bill isn’t grounded in compassion — it’s rooted in ideology, and it endangers communities across California,” Salarno added.
With violent crime still rising in many parts of the state, Crime Victims United warns that now is the wrong time to weaken accountability for those already convicted of the most serious crimes on the books.
Crime Victims United urges the California Assembly and Governor Gavin Newsom to reject SB 672, and to stand with victims, survivors, and the rule of law.
Watch the full video from the Senate floor here: https://www.senate.ca.gov/media/senate-floor-session-20250603?time%5Bmedia-element-18024%5D=11043.047841