By Mary Lou Hartman CFSY Board Member The inspiration of Pope Francis was not limited to the six days that he was in the United States. In the days and weeks leading up to his visit – as, I’m sure, will be in the days, weeks, months, and even years after his visit – he […]
A week before Pope Francis made his historic visit to Philadelphia’s largest jail, several dozen people gathered on the steps of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in that city for a special youth justice interfaith prayer service. Organized by the CFSY, the Pennsylvania Coalition for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, and a […]
Congressman Tony Cardenas (D-CA), has called for an end to the practice of sentencing children to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Congressman Cardenas introduced a resolution in the U.S. House of Representative on July 27 calling for the change. Later that evening, Congressman Cardenas was the special guest and facilitator for a […]
We applaud President Obama for his demand this week for justice reform, acknowledgement that “kids are different,” and his visit to a prison today. The fact that he and Pope Francis – two of our most powerful world leaders – have made it a priority to visit those incarcerated in the United States and call […]
By Kathleen White Outreach Coordinator When I began my year-long Jesuit Volunteer position with CFSY 11 months ago, I knew a large part of my role would be to correspond with individuals sentenced as children to die in prison. However, I did not know how transformative the power of their stories would be and how […]
As we reach the end of most state legislative sessions and the mid-point of 2015, I am thrilled to report on several important victories in our effort to abolish life sentences for children. Three states – Connecticut, Nevada, and Vermont – eliminated the sentence this year. That brings to nine the number of states that […]
Connecticut has abolished life without parole as a sentencing option for all children! Gov. Dannel Malloy signed SB 796 on June 23, 2015, just days before the three-year anniversary of the Miller v. Alabama decision, which abolished mandatory life-without-parole sentences for children. SB 796 goes further than Miller, however. It requires judges to consider both the hallmark features […]
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Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin has signed H. 62 into law, eliminating life without parole as a sentencing option for children and adding to the movement for reform in the ways that we hold young people accountable when they are convicted of serious crimes. “I am appalled that the U.S. is the only country in the […]
The American Bar Association (ABA), the country’s foremost legal membership organization representing nearly 400,000 prosecutors, judges, defense attorneys and other lawyers, today approved a resolution calling for an end to the practice of sentencing children to life in prison without parole and urging “meaningful periodic opportunities for release.” In approving this resolution, the ABA demonstrates […]
