Juveniles Given Life In Prison Can Seek Review, Possibly Parole, Supreme Court Rules

Juveniles Given Life In Prison
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that inmates who were sentenced to mandatory life in prison as a juvenile should be able to seek a review, and possibly parole. The high court said a 2012 ruling that affected a man who was sentenced to life for killing a sheriff's deputy in 1963 should be retroactive. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (UPI) — Inmates who were sentenced to life imprisonment as juveniles should be able to file for a re-evaluation — and possibly attain parole, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday.

In a 6-to-3 ruling, the high court ruled a 2012 decision prohibiting minors from being sentenced to life in prison without parole should be retroactive to include all applicable cases.

In delivering the opinion for the court, Justice Anthony Kennedy said the ruling doesn’t automatically grant parole — just the right to a review, which could lead to parole.

The 2012 decision stemmed from a lawsuit brought by a man who was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1963 as a 17-year-old boy convicted of killing a Louisiana sheriff’s deputy.

“The opportunity for release will be afforded to those who demonstrate the truth of [the case’s] central intuition — that children who commit even heinous crimes are capable of change,” Kennedy said.

Dissenting Justice Antonin Scalia said the Supreme Court does not have jurisdiction to decide the matter. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito joined him in dissent.

The Supreme Court’s ruling Monday reverses a decision by the Louisiana Supreme Court and sends the case back to lower courts.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here