Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 279, § 24 (2026)

Indeterminate sentence to state prison; determination of sentence for offender aged fourteen through seventeen

✓ current as of July 2026

Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section MAmalegislature.gov (official) JustiaChapter on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

Section 24. If a convict is sentenced to the state prison, except as an habitual criminal, the court shall not fix the term of imprisonment, but shall fix a maximum and a minimum term for which he may be imprisoned. The maximum term shall not be longer than the longest term fixed by law for the punishment of the crime of which he has be convicted, and the minimum term shall be a term set by the court, except that, where an alternative sentence to a house of correction is permitted for the offense, a minimum state prison term may not be less than one year. In the case of a sentence to life imprisonment, except in the case of a sentence for murder in the first degree, and in the case of multiple life sentences arising out of separate and distinct incidents that occurred at different times, where the second offense occurred subsequent to the first conviction, the court shall fix a minimum term which shall be not less than 15 years nor more than 25 years.

In the case of a sentence of life imprisonment for murder in the first degree committed by a person on or after the person's fourteenth birthday and before the person's eighteenth birthday, the court shall fix a minimum term of not less than 20 years nor more than 30 years; provided, however, that in the case of a sentence of life imprisonment for murder in the first degree with extreme atrocity or cruelty committed by a person on or after the person's fourteenth birthday and before the person's eighteenth birthday, the court shall fix a minimum term of 30 years; and provided further, that in the case of a sentence of life imprisonment for murder in the first degree with deliberately premeditated malice aforethought committed by a person on or after the person's fourteenth birthday and before the person's eighteenth birthday, the court shall fix a minimum term of not less than 25 years nor more than 30 years.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 62 cases (15 in the last 5 years), 1926–2026 · leading case: Commonwealth v. Hogan, 456 N.E.2d 1162 (Mass. App. Ct. 1983).

Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment

Commonwealth v. Hogan, 456 N.E.2d 1162 (Mass. App. Ct. 1983). · cites it 23× “The issues so presented are matters of first impression in this Commonwealth.”

Commonwealth v. Okoro, 26 N.E.3d 1092 (Mass. 2015). · cites it 10× “192, §§ 37-39 (providing that minimum parole term is now set according to G. L. c. 279, § 24); G. L. c. 279, § 24, as amended through St.”

Commonwealth v. Lightfoot, 463 N.E.2d 545 (Mass. 1984). · cites it 11× “272, § 7, is unconstitutionally vague and ambiguous because its provisions are in conflict with the clear mandate of G. L. c. 279, § 24. 3 First, he argues that the first paragraph of G.”

Diatchenko v. Dist. Attorney for the Suffolk Dist. Commonwealth v. Roberio, 27 N.E.3d 349 (Mass. 2015). · cites it 4× “See also G. L. c. 279, § 24. Our decision today does not undermine this relationship between sentencing and parole, but rather explores further the purpose that parole eligibility serves in the context of a juvenile homicide offender’s mandatory life sentence, and the additional…”

Sharris v. Commonwealth, 106 N.E.3d 661 (Mass. 2018). · cites it 3× “265, § 2 ; G. L. c. 279, § 24. Accordingly, incompetent defendants who face a charge of murder in the second degree qualify for dismissal of charges pursuant to G.”

Commonwealth v. Marrone, 442 N.E.2d 735 (Mass. 1982). · cites it 5× “The Commonwealth asserts that such a construction is consistent with G. L. c. 279, § 24, see note 6, infra, which requires a minimum and maximum to be fixed for each State prison term, and with Commonwealth v.”

Commonwealth v. Grassie, 65 N.E.3d 1199 (Mass. 2017). · cites it 2× “265, § 2; G. L. c. 279, § 24. 24 have never required such a statement of reasons when, as here, the judge denies a motion to reduce and leaves the jury’s verdict intact.”

Commonwealth v. Perez, 80 N.E.3d 967 (Mass. 2017). · cites it 2× “In the absence of extraordinary circumstances, which we discuss infra, this line must not be crossed to treat a juvenile convicted of a nonmurder offense, or multiple nonmurder offenses, more harshly than a 14 See G. L. c. 279, § 24, which provides in relevant part: "In the case…”

Commonwealth v. Brown, 1 N.E.3d 259 (Mass. 2013). · cites it 2× “192, §§ 37-39; G. L. c. 279, § 24, as amended through St.”

Commonwealth v. Dupree, 453 N.E.2d 1071 (Mass. App. Ct. 1983). · cites it 6× “94C, § 32A(a) (as in effect prior to 1982), can be construed consistently with G. L. c. 279, § 24, 8 a question left undecided by Gagnon .”

Carter, Bowie, McCullough v. State, 192 A.3d 695 (Md. 2018). “12135 (20 years); Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 279, § 24 (life with parole between 20 and 30 years); Wyo.”

Commonwealth v. Haley, 498 N.E.2d 1063 (Mass. App. Ct. 1986). · cites it 4× “The statute on indeterminate sentencing, G. L. c. 279, § 24, provides that a sentence to State prison (except for life or as an habitual criminal) shall fix a maximum term (not larger than the maximum prescribed by the particular statute punishing the offense) and a minimum (not…”

Show all 62 citing cases →

Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.