SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) – A man known as the “Ski Mask Rapist,” who was convicted of more than two dozen rapes in the Bay Area in the 1980s, was denied parole at a hearing Wednesday under a new state law.

George Anthony Sanchez was sentenced to 406 years in prison after being found guilty of 25 rapes more than three decades ago. But under the state’s new “Elderly Parole Program,” certain inmates who have spent decades behind bars can be considered for parole.

Since he was denied parole Wednesday evening, this means he will be eligible for another parole hearing in seven years, a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a statement.

Sanchez, who is 58, is on the younger side of the program’s prescribed age range. Since he committed the majority of his crimes before the age of 26, the state granted him “youthful offender” status, which made him eligible for the hearing.

Some of his victims were scared of his possible release and have spent decades in intense therapy.

Sanchez is currently being housed at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad.