United States Supreme Court to Review Constitutionality of Death in Prison Sentences for Children

Today, the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal filed by EJI which asks the Court to extend protections for children sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. In Jackson v. Hobbs, the Arkansas Supreme Court upheld a death-in-prison sentence imposed on a 14-year-old who was convicted of an unintentional killing where he was not the triggerman. In Miller v. Alabama, an Alabama appeals court upheld a sentence of life imprisonment without parole imposed on a 14-year-old convicted of intentional murder. Both sentences were mandatory and did not permit any consideration of the juvenile’s age or adolescent status.