“The United State Supreme Court today handed down a ruling that brings the country more into alignment with international standards of juvenile justice, though with less than hoped for finality. The court, in a five to four decision, ruled that juveniles could not be sentenced to life without parole as part of sentencing schemes that mandated the sentence.” You can read more about this story here…
The United State Supreme Court today handed down a ruling that brings the country more into alignment with international standards of juvenile justice, though with less than hoped for finality. The court, in a five to four decision, ruled that juveniles could not be sentenced to life without parole as part of sentencing schemes that mandated the sentence.
This follows the trend established over the last few years of limiting the sentencing of juveniles. The court has previously ruled as unconstitutional the imposition of the death sentence and of life sentences for non - homicide offenses. This ruling was wide in the sense that it covered juveniles of all ages, but narrow in that it still permits the sentence to be given in states where it is one of several options. Roughly two thirds of the more than 2,500 people serving life without parole sentences received as juveniles are affected by the ruling.
Widespread celebration has been tempered as news reports have caught up with the details of the ruling, and advocacy groups like The Campaign for Fair Sentencing of Youth still have work to do in order to see a final end to this practice. The United States has come under criticism for its failure to meet the standards of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is one of only two non - signatory nations, and its practices in the realm of youth justice in particular are seen as far outside the international norm.