NCJ Number
238246
Date Published
January 2012
Length
34 pages
Annotation
This report from Human Rights Watch is an update on the issue of youth sentenced to life without parole in California.
Abstract
This report from Human Rights Watch provides an update to its 2008 report on the sentencing of youth offenders in California to life without parole in the State's correctional institutions. The report discusses several factor that have changed since the original report was published: 1) the United States is the only country in the world that imposes a sentence of life without parole on youth for crimes committed when they were under the age of 18; 2) it is estimated that as of 2009, there were 2,570 youth who received this sentenced in the United States; 3) since the law was passed, the U.S, Supreme Court has declared the sentence unconstitutional for youth convicted of non-homicide crimes; and 45) at least 16 State legislatures have introduced legislation to curtail or eliminate the sentence. In California and other States: 1) over half of youth sentenced to life without parole are first-time offenders; 2) almost half of youth receiving the sentence did not actually commit murder; 3) many of the youth committed their crimes while under the influence of an adult; 4) in more than half of the cases where there was an adult co-defendant, the adult received a lower sentence than the youth who was sentenced to life without parole; and 5) significant racial disparities exist in California's use of the law, with over 85 percent of youth receiving this sentence being persons of color. The report provides three recommendations for State leaders to take regarding the law: abolish use of the sentence for youth who were under the age of 18 at the time the crime was committed, provide periodic review of every youth offender's eligibility for parole and a meaningful opportunity for release, and provide youthful offenders with opportunities for rehabilitation, education, and vocational training.