Juvenile and Criminal Justice
Juvenile Life Without Parole
The United States is the only country in the world that currently sentences juveniles to life without the possibility of parole. Approximately 2,600 inmates nationwide serve life-without-parole sentences for crimes they committed as juveniles; over 450 of them are serving in Pennsylvania—the most of any U.S. jurisdiction. In its 2010 decision in Graham v. Florida, the U.S. Supreme Court determined it’s unconstitutional to impose such a harsh sentence on a juvenile convicted of a nonhomicide offense, largely because developmental and scientific research demonstrates how juveniles—including those who commit violent crimes—possess a greater capacity for rehabilitation, change, and growth than adults do, and are less blameworthy for their criminal conduct.
Building on the amicus brief we filed in Graham, Juvenile Law Center works to end the practice of sentencing any juvenile, regardless of how severe their crime, to life without the possibility of parole. We file petitions and appeals directly challenging these sentences in Pennsylvania and write briefs and assist colleagues in relevant cases around the country. For example, we argued Commonwealth v. Batts, a Pennsylvania Supreme Court case in which a juvenile received a mandatory life without parole sentence for a murder he committed at age 14. We’ve also submitted briefs on behalf of juveniles sentenced to life without parole for felony murder (see Lemuel Session Whiteside v. State of Arkansas), where their role in the actual murder may have been very limited but criminal law nevertheless permits their prosecution for homicide. We are also involved in challenges to sentences that, because of their length, are the functional equivalent of life in prison. These interminably long sentences have been meted out to many youth nationwide who were also convicted of non-homicide offenses (see Chaz Bunch v. Keith Smith). Finally, we support legislative efforts to amend state statutes to prohibit the imposition of juvenile life-without-parole sentences.
Last updated February 29, 2012
Fast Facts
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Juveniles are not as capable of socially responsible decision-making as adults.
Cauffman, Elizabeth and Steinberg, Laurence. "(Im)maturity of Judgment in Adolescence: Why Adolescents May Be Less Culpable Than Adults." Behavioral Sciences and the Law 18.6 (2000): 741-760.
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In 2005, the United States held at least 2,225 individuals who were sentenced to life without parole for crimes they committed before the age of 18.
Amnesty International: Human Rights Watch. "The Rest of Their Lives: Life Without the Possibility of Parole for Child Offenders in the United States." 2005.
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It is estimated that 59% of juveniles who were sentenced to life without parole were convicted of no prior offenses.
Amnesty International: Human Rights Watch. "The Rest of Their Lives: Life Without the Possibility of Parole for Child Offenders in the United States." 2005.
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Of 154 countries from which data could be collected, only 3 currently have individuals serving a life without parole sentence for a crime committed when they were juveniles.
Amnesty International: Human Rights Watch. "The Rest of Their Lives: Life Without the Possibility of Parole for Child Offenders in the United States." 2005.
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Roughly 26% of juveniles serving life without parole sentences were convicted of felony murder.
Amnesty International: Human Rights Watch. "The Rest of Their Lives: Life Without the Possibility of Parole for Child Offenders in the United States." 2005.
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