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CCA Rules LWoP Suitable for Juveniles

By Steve Hall

"Life without parole OK for juveniles, Texas court rules; Sentence is not too harsh for teens convicted of murder, judges say, is the title of Chuck Lindell's report in today's Austin American-Statesman. Sentencing juvenile murderers to life in prison without any chance of parole is not unreasonably harsh, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled Wednesday. Chris Joshua Meadoux, convicted of killing two San Antonio friends when he was 16, argued that his no-parole sentence violated the U.S. Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment because juveniles lack maturity, judgment and an adult's sense of responsibility. But in a 7-2 ruling, the state's highest criminal court said that juveniles may be less morally culpable than adults, but some actions justify imposing the second-harshest penalty available in Texas...continue to full post

Full post as published by StandDown Texas Project on November 18, 2010 (boomark / email).