Wednesday, March 12th, 2008...2:02 pm | Luke Gilman

State Movements Seek Ban on Life Sentences without Possibility of Parole Applied to Children

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Several states are weighing legislation to that would prevent juveniles from receiving life sentences without the possibility of parole, according to an excellent article recently in Christian Science Monitor States reconsider life behind bars for youth. There are currently nearly 2,400 juveniles currently incarcerated without the possibility of parole across the nation, a situation that makes the United States unique among modern nations for it’s willingness to throw away the key on youth offenders.

Legislatures considering bills in Illinois, Michigan, Florida, Nebraska, and California are attempting in part to balance the rehabilitative potential of young inmates with the emotional response of victims’ families who feel betrayed by the reversal under consideration. Likely to be a central part of the debate are the developmental differences between children and adults and the implications of Roper v. Simmons, a Supreme Court case which prohibited the application of the death penalty to minors on 8th Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment) grounds.

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