BATON ROUGE- Louisiana lawmakers are considering a change that would remove the requirement of a life sentence for those convicted of second-degree murder -- at least, in some cases.

On Tuesday, a legislative task force heard from those who say the current law is too restrictive, and from others who say the punishment of life in prison fits the crime.

"There's something called principal -- someone can be charged, someone who may have had no knowledge -- the penalty is still the same," said Kerry Myers, the executive director of the Louisiana Parole Project and a member of the Senate Task Force on Sentencing for Second-Degree Murder. "The way the law (is today), it can happen, it does happen. Some prosecutors won't do that, some will." 

The task force is examining options that would lift the life sentence requirement.

"You're riding along with some knuckle head, some stupid, some monster, some crazed person, someone that does something so heinous, you're riding along, you're drunk, they commit a crime, and you're charged equally to the crime they did, is that fair?" Rep. Alonzo Knox, a Democrat from New Orleans, asked. 

Some lawmakers and members of the judicial community want to ease the punishment for someone who was there when a murder happened, but did not commit the crime -- and did not know the crime was going to be committed. 

"It's intent to kill, versus not intent to kill. Where do you draw the line?" State Sen. Mark Abraham (R-Lake Charles) asked. "I don't believe someone who was riding along should get the same punishment as trigger man, which is life without parole."

A board within the task force was appointed to take a closer look at those laws.

The next meeting date is not yet set.