Rhode Island Rep Honored With Freedom Innovator Award

PROVIDENCE, RI — A Rhode Island state representative was honored with the Freedom Innovator Award.

State Rep. Julie A. Casimiro, D-North Kingstown and Exeter, was chosen for the award by the RI Freedom Collective at the first annual Freedom Gala held Saturday, according to a media release.

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"She was honored due to her sponsorship and advocacy for 'Mario’s Law' which made minors who were sentenced as adults eligible for parole after serving 20 years of a sentence," the release said.

Officially known as the Youthful Offender Act, the legislation was named after Mario Monteiro who was sentenced to life in prison as a juvenile.

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“Kids make mistakes, sometimes truly awful mistakes, but we must realize they were still committed by children without fully developed brains and the necessary biological and social development to realize the significant impacts and consequences of their crimes," Casimiro said in the release.

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"We passed ‘Mario’s Law’ because the children who committed crimes and finished growing up inside a jail cell deserved a shot at freedom if they realized the error and pain caused by their previous actions and can prove that they have fundamentally changed,” Casimiro said.

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“This award means so much to me because it was a long journey to get ‘Mario’s Law’ passed, but since then, it’s been a privilege to witness the remarkable and caring man Mario Monteiro has become," she said. "I thank him for his friendship and for recognizing me with this tremendous honor.”

The RI Freedom Collective supports formerly incarcerated persons.

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