On Monday, 11/7/11, the Supreme Court of the United States agreed to decide whether juveniles convicted of killing someone may be locked up for life with no chance of parole. Consideration of the issue is a follow-up to last year’s ruling which barred such sentences for teenagers whose crimes do not include killing.
The court will examine two cases from the South involving minor killers who are serving life sentences for crimes they committed when they were 14 yrs old. The cases are Miller v. Alabama, 10-9646 and Jackson v. Arkansas, 10-9647. 
Both of the cases were brought by the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery,Alabama, a nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to indigent defendants and prisoners who have been denied fair and just treatment in the legal system. The institute maintains that life without parole for children so young “is cruel and unusual” and violates the Constitution. According to the group, roughly six dozen people in 18 states are under life sentences and ineligible for parole for crimes they committed at 13 or 14 yrs old.
In recent times, the Supreme Court has moved toward judging juveniles less responsible than adults when considering severe sentences. In 2005, the court ruled out the use of the death penalty for people under 18 yrs. of age. Then, in May 2010, the court said that teenagers may not be locked up for life without a chance of parole if they have not killed anyone. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion in both of those decisions.
The court is scheduled to hear arguments next year.
Source: The Daily Record/ The Associated Press
