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LDF report documents disparties in juve LWOP in Mississippi

By Douglas A. Berman

This AP article reports on a new report on juve LWOP that came out this past week:Most juveniles sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in Mississippi are black, a disparity that underscores the need to reform sentencing guidelines, according to a report by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Poverty, lack of education and broken homes are among other traits shared by youngsters sentenced to spend the rest of their lives behind bars, the report said. Twenty of the 26 people currently serving life without parole after being convicted as juveniles in Mississippi are black, according to the 28-page report released this week.  Blacks make up about 37 percent of Mississippi?s population, but comprise nearly 80 percent of the juvenile offenders serving life sentences...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on May 31, 2008 (boomark / email).