Should juvenile offenders get life in prison?
Audio
- Should juvenile offenders get life in prison? (program audio)
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments this week about whether juvenile offenders should be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The United States is one of the only countries in the world that allows children under 18 to be sentenced to life without parole. Some say it's cruel and unusual punishment; others say some crimes deserve this severe a punishment, regardless of the offender's biological age.
The appeals come from two inmates, one from Alabama and one from Arkansas. The justices ruled last year that states couldn't impose a life sentence without parole for criminals who were minors unless their crimes involved a homicide.
Should juveniles be given a second chance to change? Or are some minors incapable of rehabilitation?
Hennepin County attorney Mike Freeman will join The Daily Circuit Wednesday to talk about sentencing juvenile offenders. Jody Madeira, associate professor at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law in Bloomington.
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The Daily Circuit from March 21, 2012
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