Juvenile Life Sentences Found Unconstitutional and Retroactive

Juvenile Life Sentences Found Unconstitutional and Retroactive

On June 25, 2012, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decided Miller v. Alabama1. In that case, SCOTUS held that mandatory life without parole for juvenile homicide offenders violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishments.2 SCOTUS declared that youth must be taken into consideration when sentencing a juvenile defendant.3 While…

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