News

By Lyle Denniston

For the third time in recent years, the Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider putting a limit on the severity of punishment for youths who commit serious crimes before they are 18 years old.  Two youths who were 14-year-olds at the time of their crimes — one in Alabama, the other in Arkansas — have asked the Justices to rule that it is unconstitutional to impose on a minor a sentence of life in prison without a chance for parole in a murder case.  In one of the cases, there is an added claim that such a sentence may not be imposed if the youth did not personally kill the victim or intend that someone be killed.

The Court has shown a special concern for youthful criminals, treating them as less responsible than adults for what they do and therefore entitled to more leniency when they are sentenced.  In 2005, it barred the death penalty for those who commit murder when they are minors.  In 2010, it barred life-without-parole sentences for minors who commit serious crimes, but that ruling only dealt with non-homicide crimes.  The grant on Monday will now consider extending that second ruling to youths convicted of murder.

The cases are Miller v. Alabama (docket 10-9646) and Jackson v. Hobbs (10-9647); the Court granted review of the two separately, but said that it will hear oral arguments in them back-to-back.  Those hearings are likely to be in late February, with the decision before next summer.

Read the rest of the article here.

By Roseann Moring, The Omaha World-Herald

When Nebraska inmate Jeremy Herman is released sometime over the next year, he’ll have a lot to learn.

After 19 years behind bars, he has never used the Internet. The first and only time he saw an iPod, he thought it was a CD player’s remote control.

But Herman, now 36 and serving his last year for a kidnapping that resulted in his friend’s death, says his most important change came long before he learned last week that he would be released instead of serving the life sentence he agreed to.

It was years ago — he can’t recall the date — when he heard he had been forgiven by his victim’s mother, Mona Schlautman.

On Oct. 8, 1992, Herman picked up Schlautman’s son, Jeremy Drake, in a Mustang. An acquaintance, Christopher Masters, sat in the back seat.

Herman and Drake were close — one year apart in school, they worked together and slept over at each other’s houses. Had Drake survived, Herman says now, he could have changed the world.

“This is a kid that could have been a political figure,” he said.

The goal of the trip was to learn who had stolen Herman’s car stereo speakers. The plan, inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, was to drive Drake around and scare him into talking.

Click here to read more on The Omaha World-Herald website.

By Daniel Gutman

Michelle Murray traveled nearly 400 miles – from Los Angeles to Sacramento – on a one day trip late last month to speak with her elected officials about the importance of Senate Bill 9. The California Assembly was only days away from voting on SB 9, a bill to end life without parole prison sentences for youth in California.

Michelle wasn’t alone on her trip. With her were other loved ones of people serving and family members who have fallen victim to violence. Together, along with a diverse coalition of faith leaders, students, and advocates, these families were united in their call for fair and just sentencing of youth.

Across the United States, more than 2,600 people have been condemned to prison for the rest of their lives, with no hope of ever being released, for crimes committed as youth. Nearly 300 of these individuals, including Michelle’s brother, are in prisons across California.
In the three weeks that I spent in Sacramento leading up to the vote on SB 9, I had the privilege of working alongside fierce advocates like Michelle. I was inspired by their dedication and unified message throughout the campaign, even during times of uncertainty. This unity was especially apparent during the final stretch before the vote as faith leaders held a day of prayer and action, youth from Los Angeles took an overnight bus to Sacramento to speak with their elected officials, and people from around the state and nation literally jammed legislators’ phone lines with calls of support.

Click here to read more on the Justice Policy Blog.

There’s a debate today in Minneapolis that deals with a very difficult moral question: Are there some crimes so heinous we should lock the perpetrator up and throw away the key, even if that person is a juvenile? The University of St. Thomas School of Law will host the debate over whether life without parole is ever appropriate for juvenile criminals.

MPR’s Phil Picardi spoke with St. Thomas Law Professor Mark Osler, who says juvenile criminals always deserve an opportunity for parole. He’ll be debating Jeanne Bishop. She’s a public defender in Cook County, Illinois, which includes the city of Chicago.

Click here to listen to the debate on MPR’s website.

By Rebecca Weiker

A few months ago, I spent the day meeting with a group of family members who have had their lives changed forever by acts of violence. Nobody there would have chosen to be a member of this group — all of us had either lost a loved one to murder, or had lost a loved one in an entirely different way.  Many brothers, sisters, sons and daughters were sentenced to die in prison for a crime committed in their youth.

My sister Wendy was a therapist who was passionate about supporting young people with mental health problems.  Almost 20 years ago she was murdered by one of her patients.  All these years later, I only now am at a place where I can consider this crime from a position of empathy.  I understand that I can choose what meaning to make of this experience.

I will never “get over” her death nor do I expect to shed the feeling of loss and deep sadness that comes from not having her in the world. She was truly a bright light in the world. She was my big sister and I looked up to her. I admired her commitment to justice, her warmth, her seemingly endless energy.

Click here to the full article on the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange website.