sentenced to life without parole as teenagers. now hundreds of local inmates have a shot at going free. today why some will get that second chance. and it could be in your own backyard. a secret storm facility housing hundreds of rare and priceless treasures of the american revolution. we'll tell you why they're hidden away. and how can you can see them for yourself. >> "nbc10 @ issue" starts now. >> good morning, i'm jim rosenfield for "nbc10 @ issue." hundreds of people serving life in a philadelphia prison or across the state for crimes they committed as teenagers could have a shot at parole.

earlier this month a judge heard the long rest of resentencing cases. 300 inmates in philadelphia must get a new hearing or considered for parole. those in prison for the longest period of time will get hearings first. two inmates in philadelphia have already been granted new sentences making them eligible for immediate parole. advocates will reach out to family members of the victims to make sure they are aware about any release. now, this is based on a 2012 u.s. supreme court ruling that called mandatory life without parole for juveniles unconstitutional because it violated the ban on cruel and unusual punishment. earlier this year the supreme court said it applied to back cases as well as cases now in the courts. this ruling affects more than 1,500 inmates across the country. but philadelphia has more juveniles sentenced to life without parole than any other country in the world.

with me is the chief counsel and cofounder of the juvenile law center based here in philadelphia, juvenile law center advocates for those in the justice system and she was involved in the supreme court case that deemed that it was unconstitutional. thank you so much for being here this morning at -- at issue. we understand why this is an important ruling but what does it mean for the inmates themselves? >> well, the united states has a history of incarcerating more people in this country than any other country in the world. and we have individuals here in philadelphia who have been serving decades in prison. in fact, philadelphia is home to the longest serving individual in the country serving thisç mandatory life without parole sentence. he has been in prison for over six decades and all of these e are -- many of these are individuals who have more than

earned the right to a second chance. the right to demonstrate their maturity and their rehabilitation and should have an opportunity to come back into their communities. >> what do you say though to those who say they should serve out their sentence, why have they demonstrated a right to a second chance or why should have that right? >> well, the supreme court has required that they be given a second chance. what the court has said is that for children who have been convicted of this crime, for crimes that they committed before they turned 18, that they're different than adult offenders. that they are -- they were immature at the time that the offenses were committed and most importantly they're less blame worthy and they can demonstrate and they can achieve rehabilitation. because the supreme court has required that, i think we need to be sensitive to the concerns of victims' family members. we need to engage them in the process, but we need to recognize that we are a country of second chances and we should give these individuals that second chance. >> but let's not sugarcoat this.

some -- many of the crimes are terrible, heinous crimes, obviously if they received that sentence. >> sure. they were convicted of homicides, they were not all directly involved in the killing. many of these individuals were present at the scene of the crime. they may have left before the homicide was committed. about a third of these individuals were not directly involved in the crime that occurred. but unquestionably these are serious crimes and we should not forget that. >> if they had been bad actors during the prison terms, they're not going to get out. that would be taken into account. >> that will be taken into account but we know with this population that when children -- when teenagers enter the prison system it's not uncommon for them to experience a lot of adjustment problems. none of us should be surprised by that. and yet when we look at those individuals who have been in longer it turns out for the most

recent period going back 10, 15, 20 years, there have been no infractions. because they grow up. the individuals grow up in prison and we need to recognize that. >> you have met with some of them. >> yes. >> what kind of things do they sort of impart to you what this ruling means to them, to have this opportunity? >> i think the most striking emotion that they convey is one of hope. but it's cautious hope because they recognize that they may not get out. this is notç guaranteed get ou of prison card. they know that they will have to go before the judge or a parole board, but for the first time in their lives they have hope. so it is a moment when there is this cautious optimism that they may have an opportunity to get back into their communities and to be with their family members. >> we have to ask you that question because we are not allowed in with cameras to interview them. >> that is correct. not in the pennsylvania prison system. >> how receptive have the judges been to this ruling? >> well, the pennsylvania

supreme court back in 2013 actually ruled that they would not apply, the supreme court miller decision from 2012 and it took the u.s. supreme court supreme court decision this past year to establish that the ruling had to be applied throughout the state. i think that the judges in pennsylvania are coming on board with the task obviously they have to. the philadelphia court system has established a procedure for how they will manage the hundreds of cases that needs to be processed here in philadelphia. >> and what does this mean for future cases? >> we know that under pennsylvania law now going forward individuals who are convicted of second degree murder or felony murder cannot be sentenced to life without parole. we have an expectation going backwards even that even those who were convicted of first degree murder will not receive that sentence. but we still face very, very long mandatory minimum sentences of two or three decades or more. my hope is that we can continue to chip away at this very long

sentences and to really -- they're into the era where we're a bit more humane and fair in how we punish children. >> all right. marcia levitt, thank you for being here. coming up next on "nbc10 @ issue" we'll here what it is like for the prisoners sentenced as teenagers. they went in during the flintstone era and they're coming out to the jetsons. later, a secret cache of hundreds of priceless items stored in a local warehouse. we'll tell you what the treasures are and when you will be able to see them for yourself.

again! again! again! again! again? again! again! general mills is removing artificial flavors and colors from our cereals. so you can love cereal... again!

philadelphia district attorney seth williams says his office is working to process 300 cases in philadelphia of juvenile lifers who will be resentenced and could be immediately paroled. but he also acknowledges his responsibility to the families of the victims. nbc10's tracy davidson recently sat down with williams to sat down how his office plans to

move forward now that the supreme court has stopped mandatory life terms for juveniles. >> it was just published january 25th of 2016 in a case of montgomery versus louisiana the supreme court ended the confusion and ended the discussion or the debate and said that it was unconstitutional. it violated the 8th amendment of the united states constitution to incarcerate juveniles without the possibility of parole. so as a result of that, my office met that afternoon to discuss what we were going to do to handle these 300 cases. philadelphia has more m"á$át$*q resentenced as a result of this than any other city in america. important for your viewers to know that 50% of them were convicted in the '80's and earlier. there are families on both sides that are grieving. the families of those that defendants who have been serving

in prison for decades of course, but also the family members of those that were murdered. so we have to consider the needs of society as a whole in public safety. we have to consider the family members who lost their loved ones. so we have a lot of different things. so a lot of the old cases, where we have to get the files. so i have one assistant district attorney who is very experienced to be handling all of the cases. she'll be supplemented with a victim witness advocate who will be reaching out the speak to as many of the family members as we can contact. a law clerk and a detective to gather all the information that we need to ensure that justice is done. at some point, they have to go before the parole board. so we have been working with the parole board and with secretary wetzel to try to create a structure so that the individuals aren't put at the end of the list of those who are already awaiting parole

hearings. but that we'll create a list for the individuals, because many have been incarcerated since the 80s and before. >> let's talk about the victims' families who you have to call and say, this is what's happening and let me explain why it's happening. >> it's very very important. in pennsylvania, the victims have a right to be heard and i don't want a family member of someone who lost a loved one due to some horrific violence on our streets in the '70s or the '80s or the '90s to just learn about this because the defendant is riding the "l" with them. you know, they hear that this person is back on the street. that's our responsibility i think to reach out to them. >> what have you heard in terms of their reactions to the people that you have called so far? >> one individual his brother was murdered on south street in 1979. he was very, very upset.

he did not want the person who murdered his brother on south street to be released. at least he thought until he was 62. at least until he thought beyond retirement age. by then when it was explained to him the law, when we showed him letters thatç parents of other inmates who were touched by how this individual mentored their sons while incarcerated, the guy understood and was willing to accept the fact that maybe the 34 years that, you know, this -- 35 years this individual has been in jail was enough. >> how long do you think it will take your office to get through 300 cases? >> it might take us three years to get through all 300 cases, through all the background research that we need to do. and negotiate with attorneys, to schedule the hearing. to get them before the parole board. so it's going to take a while,

but this has been a long time in the making. these are, you know, cases that happened in the '70s and 80s but it's only since january of 2016 that montgomery versus louisiana was settled. so in that short period of time we have been working very hard, very diligently to create a system that will allow us to apply the new statute, to have the hearings and to move forward. >> there's so many re-entry programs but those are for people who pretty much had a life, were incarcerated for a certain period of time and now have re-entered society. but these are teenagers. they didn't have a life, so how do you re-enter them into society after 30, 40 years in prison? >> right that's something we have to take into consideration how these were teenagers who had been incarcerated since they were teens. in many of them for three -- and many of them for three or four decades so it's going to be a

lot to explain to them how to act when you're not living in the institution. how to live daily, how to take care of yourself. many of them have health issues, so these are all things that have to be considered. and i really hope that your viewers understand that. some people just think we can poof, wave a magic and with and just release people. we want to do what's fair. fair to the victims' families, fair to society as a whole, for safety. and very fair and considering the need of the individuals that will be released. >> there are a total of 506 juvenile lifers across the state. pennsylvania secretary of corrections john wetzel tells us some of those prisoners waiting for a shot at parole have served six decades. he said the state has been working on a plan for their release for 3 1/2 years. >> in the meantime, we're already providing re-entryç an transition counseling and really just trying to prepare them to go back to the community. i mean, from starting with making sure they have proper

i.d. some of them, think about it, five decades ago, some of them don't even have social security numbers or birth certificates so we're working on the real practical stuff, and then coming one a protocol how we'll transition them back into the community. >> wetzel said that the transition needs to be slow. halfway house will be set up specifically for the juvenile lifers with support that includes finding work, counseling and mentoring. next on "nbc10 @ issue," it's a secret very few people know about. priceless artifacts stored here in our area, destined for a new museum. items so important to our history that no one is to know where they are, but "nbc10 @ issue" knows where the secret storage facility is in our area. and even though we can't tell you where, we can show you a peek at what's inside and tell you why the precautions are so important. don't go away.

in a secret location not far from philadelphia, some of the most priceless treasures of the american revolution sit waiting for shipment to a new museum scheduled to open up next spring in old city. "nbc10 @ issue" was granted a rare peek inside the storm facility. if we promised not to tell you where it is. a place that could be in your neighborhood. here's what it looks like inside the storage facility for the soon to open museum of the american revolution. look at this. it's just filled with powder horns, american muskets. also the first newspaper printing of the declaration of independence. hundreds of other items that represent the founding of our country. boy, do i want to some more time at that location. with us are dr. stephenson, head curator for the american revolution museum and a local conservator.

thanks so much for both of you for being here. virginia, we'll begin with you because i know you have been doing some painstaking work, just amazing, restoring what many are calling the first oval office. the tent that george washington used as his headquarters during the revolution. what's it like to hold that kind of history in your hands? >> this linen tent is a very large oval room and it was his office and his bed chamber. and to work on it was really inspiring and amazing. what i liked to imagine when i was working on it was what conversations george washington had with various visitors and diplomats and soldiers. and just to imagine what was going on within those linen walls. >> where was this tent and what condition was it in when you started working on it? >> it had -- well, scott can tell the history of it. but when i got it it had been in storage for quite a while.

it had holes and losses and splits and rips and some people had taken large c@uoks of it for -- >> for selfish reasons. >> yeah. yeah. it's a shame. so all of it had to be stabilized in order for it to be put on display in the museum of the american revolution. >> you have also done some painstaking work on smaller items. one of which we have right here. what are these? >> well, to go from one extreme to the other, where you go to the tent, huge room, to small baby booties. scott can give the history of where these came from. >> yeah, these are -- these are actually a very recent donation to the museum. like the george washington tent that entered a while ago, these came in a month ago who brought british red coat home with him as a souvenir at the end of the year and when his first child

was born, he cut the red coat up and made the little child shoes. >> just amazing. when you started to work on the shoes for instance -- >> they were flattened and one was turned inside out. and the ribbons were disintegrating and there are holes in the back. which you can't see because i conserved them. >> wonderful work that you do. tell us when the museum is scheduled to open and what people will experience there. >> so we'll be opening in spring of 2017 at 3rd and chestnut. >> right in old city. >> two blocks from independence hall. >> what can you tell us about that tent location, back in history and what took place there? >> oh, my gosh, it's incredible. i mean as you drive up and down the east coast it's become a cliche to see the historical signs that washington slept there. what we know about the command tent, he would have this set up in the yard, whether it was a

tavern or a home that he was staying. this was the only private washington had. where he'd read and write the dispatches. where he would not be disturbed. as we learned about this use of the tent, we somewhat tongue in cheek came up with this is the first oval office. you come up with the memories of kennedy in the cuban missile crisis, and to have a private place like that for the weighty moments of command. >> what about artifacts from here in the philadelphia, area, are those included in the ç collection? >> absolutely. i mean, everything from i think we mentioned earlier the first newspaper printing of the declaration of independence. that was published on july 6th of 1776. right in old city. lots of artifacts from men and women, children, who lived through the revolution. so some of them are unexpected. there's a philadelphia baker by

the name of christopher ludwig who was a german immigrant and a gingerbread baker. and he was a very patriotic member of the revolution generation, sacrificed a great deal both personally and financially to support the cause. and his descendants this was almost a century ago donated a carved wooden block that he used to make cookies with. so we've got some food stories of the revolution that you'll learn. >> what will this museum mean to the city, do you think? >> the museum sort of completes that old city experience. i mean, this is a place that people have recognized since the very midst of the revolution. this was the headquarters of the american revolution. delegates from all over the colonies met in philadelphia. and right now we have got independence hall. we have wonderful sites, both small and large. but there isn't a single place under one roof that kind of gives you the broad narrative. so we think we'll bring context and objects to the historic

philadelphia. >> and do you both know where this secret location is where all the items are stored because we know. >> i know. >> that's where you do your work? >> yes. it was a year's worth of work. 525 hours of work over a course of a year to stabilize the tent so that it can be displayed. >> well dr. stephenson and virginia weldon, thank you so much for being here. again, this museum scheduled to open to the public in old city coming up in the spring of '17. >> that's right. >> we look forward to walking inside and seeing that history. thanks a lot. be right back.

this is "nbc10 @ issue." >> that's it for this edition of "nbc10 @ issue." and we leave you this morning with another look at a priceless collection of artifacts that will soon be on display at the museum of the american revolution. have a great sunday.

- if you've come looking for some fun or a chance to be most anyone there's a little shop i know you'll find it on "the chica show" follow me and step inside imagination is your guide pick a costume off you go now you're on "the chica show" cowboys dancers astronauts and much more adventure is the thing we always have in store so join our funny family - and me - and me - and me - and me - the clothes are cool the fun is free so welcome to "the chica show" - hi, i'm kelly. how may i help you play today? - hi, i'm alicia, and this is my daughter, brooke. - hi, i wanna dress up, but i don't know what to be. - well, let's see-- what do we have--