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Noting the impact of Graham for all juve LWOP sentences

By Douglas A. Berman

Today's Wall Street Journal take note of the echoes of the Supreme Court's ruling last Term in Graham v. Florida via this effective article, headlined "Judges Forced to Revisit Juveniles' Life Sentences." Here are excerpts: Judges are grappling with whether it is ever proper to sentence a juvenile to life in prison without parole in light of a Supreme Court decision that such a punishment for non-murderers is cruel and unusual.... Since the decision, state courts have been reducing the sentences of prisoners covered by the ruling.  An Iowa judge last month decided that Jason Means, 34 years old, who was serving life without parole for a kidnapping committed when he was 17, was eligible for parole. Approximately 150 inmates are automatically eligible for lighter sentences, according to attorneys...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on October 29, 2010 (boomark / email).