Monday, May 17, 2010

Court Commentary: Life Sentencing

On the other hand, the Court also just ruled that a life sentence without parole is 'cruel and unusual' when applied to minors, regardless of their crime:
"A state need not guarantee the offender eventual release, but if it imposes a sentence of life it must provide him or her with some realistic opportunity to obtain release before the end of that term," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority.
I still think a life sentence for minors is still way out of line for anything other than first-degree murder.