U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Miller v. Alabama and in Jackson v. Arkansas Regarding Mandatory Life Sentences For Juveniles

June 25, 2012
On Monday, June 25, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that state laws that mandatorily sentence juveniles convicted of murder to life in prison without parole are unconstitutional. Imposing life without parole on juveniles, without permitting the court to consider mitigating circumstances, violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment, the high court ruled in a 5-4 decision. The ruling could affect nearly 2,500 juvenile prisoners.
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