HARRISBURG PATRIOT-NEWS Column: Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Miller v. Alabama that mandatory life sentences for offenders under the age of 18 violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment because they fail to take into account the unique characteristics of young offenders, including their “diminished culpability and greater prospects for reform.”…
Since Miller, nearly a dozen states—including Pennsylvania—have reformed their sentencing laws to comply with the decision. Last fall, Gov. Tom Corbett signed legislation setting setting a new minimum sentence of 35 years in prison for juveniles above the age of 15 convicted of first-degree murder. The sentencing range for convicted murderers who are under 14 is 25 years-to-life (which in Pennsylvania automatically means no option for parole.)
Yet the commonwealth has still not decided what to do with the roughly 460 inmates—more than any other state—who are currently locked up for the remainder of their lives for crimes they committed before their 18th birthday. As of today, the state Supreme Court has had exactly one year to make up its mind… (more)
