The amicus brief argued that Miller and Montgomery establish a presumption against imposing life without parole sentences on juveniles and requires a finding that the juvenile is permanently incorrigible and incapable of reform.
Our brief argues that overruling Parsons and decertifying the class in B.K. would have a serious, adverse effect on class action impact litigation, and that it would have an especially negative impact on access to the courts and appropriate relief for system-involved children who are subjected to constitutional wrongs.
The brief argued that greater procedural protections—including the right to counsel—are required during parole hearings to ensure that juveniles serving life sentences are given a meaningful opportunity to obtain release as required by Graham.
Juvenile Law Center, joined by more than a dozen advocacy organizations, filed an amicus brief in the Kentucky Supreme Court in support of Mr. Bredhold and the trial court’s decision. We argued that objective indicia of evolving standards of decency and research in neuroscience require abolition of the death penalty for individuals who were under 21 years of age at the time of their offense.
Our brief urged the court to grant review to address the constitutionality of Ohio's felony murder statute as applied to juveniles because it prescribes a mandatory 15 years to life sentence without consideration of youth.
Our brief urged the court to grant review in order to clarify that its prior rulings extend to term-of-years sentences that are the functional equivalent of juvenile life without parole and hold that any sentence that condemns a youth to die in prison is constitutionally disproportionate regardless of whether it is formally labeled “life without parole.”
Juvenile Law Center’s brief supports Mr. Timbs' position that the U.S. Constitution’s protection against excessive fines applies to state and local governments as well as to the federal government. Our brief seeks to educate the Court about how exorbitant fines and fees in the juvenile justice system affect young people.
Our brief argued the imposition of life without parole sentences on young adults is unconstitutional because, as emerging research shows, the brain functions relevant to the characteristics of youth are still developing in young adults.
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