Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam announced he had granted clemency to Cyntoia Brown, who has been serving a life sentence since killing her abuser when she was 16. CFSY Youth Justice Advocate Eric Alexander released the following statement: I am very proud of my home state of Tennessee today after our Governor’s decision to grant […]
The landmark decision makes Washington the 21st state (plus DC) to ban the sentence, meaning a majority of states now ban or do not use it October 18, 2018, Washington, DC –– Today, the Washington State Supreme Court handed down a decision in State of Washington v. Brian Bassett, in which it ruled that sentencing […]
The pilot ICAN self-care and community building convening brought more than a dozen members of the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network (ICAN) together from July 1-3, 2018 at the University of Scranton’s Conference and Retreat Center at Chapman lake to rest and renew, while also developing and deepening personal and professional relationships, and learning strategies to […]
The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY) applauds Congressman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) for championing HR 6011, which would end life-without-parole and de facto life sentences for children in the federal criminal justice system and bring the country in line with most of the world in repudiating these draconian sentences for kids. The use […]
Clint Smith is a prominent writer, teacher, and Harvard Ph.D. candidate. We spoke with him about the ongoing issue of racial injustice and its effects on our criminal justice system and youth sentencing in this country. Here we are in 2018, 50 years after the assassination of Dr. King. Where are we in this moment […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 2, 2018 Media Contact: Karmah Elmusa | kelmusa@cfsy.org | 202-289-4677 ext. 113 OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE PASSES INHUMANE & UNCONSTITUTIONAL YOUTH SENTENCING BILL, COULD BECOME NATIONAL OUTLIER Law would be the worst among states that have passed legislation following U.S. Supreme Court mandate in Montgomery v. Louisiana May 2, 2018, Washington, DC –– […]
At age 17, Kimberly Simmons was an expectant mother who was charged with first degree felony murder and was later sentenced to serve her the rest of her life in prison. Today, at 47, Kimberly is a free woman who is a member of ICAN, and is discovering what it is like to live as […]
The first few months of 2018 have seen a number of cases from state appellate courts on issues surrounding juvenile sentencing, many of them addressing lengthy or de facto life without parole sentences. Here are a few highlights from these recent opinions: On March 9th, the Iowa Supreme Court overturned a 25-life sentence for a […]
You can’t go much of anywhere in March without finding yourself in a conversation about the NCAA Basketball Championship — better known as ‘March Madness’ — and it’s similarly difficult to spend much time in our office without quickly gaining a handle on JLWOP and other extreme sentences for you in states across the country. […]
Dear friends, As Black History Month draws to a close, we are particularly mindful of the devastating impact of the “superpredator theory,” a racially biased, scientifically deficient idea suggesting that black teenagers are hyper-criminal. This reactionary premise has shaped a generation of youth sentencing laws and contributed to a climate in which it is socially, […]
