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13- and 14-year olds sentenced to life without parole.
The only good thing I have to say about this is that they weren't sentenced to the death penalty.
There are also a few assumptions that are made that I think need closer inspection (they mention that nearly half of the 73 identified children are African-American, seeming to imply a bias (which I don't entirely doubt) by the sentences against people of color, but I think they also need to explicitly consider that there are more African-American families than Caucasians families that can't afford competent lawyers, and who are in situations that drive them to such crimes. But none of this changes that fact that these children are not receiving the help and care they need and deserve.
(Frankly, I'm not even sure what I think of life without possibility of parole for adults, either. I mean, the number one concern is certainly the safety of the populace, and one's behavior in prison isn't necessarily an indicator of whether they'll be a threat once they're released, but it could still be an indicator as to whether the person is fit for a parole investigation.)
The only good thing I have to say about this is that they weren't sentenced to the death penalty.
There are also a few assumptions that are made that I think need closer inspection (they mention that nearly half of the 73 identified children are African-American, seeming to imply a bias (which I don't entirely doubt) by the sentences against people of color, but I think they also need to explicitly consider that there are more African-American families than Caucasians families that can't afford competent lawyers, and who are in situations that drive them to such crimes. But none of this changes that fact that these children are not receiving the help and care they need and deserve.
(Frankly, I'm not even sure what I think of life without possibility of parole for adults, either. I mean, the number one concern is certainly the safety of the populace, and one's behavior in prison isn't necessarily an indicator of whether they'll be a threat once they're released, but it could still be an indicator as to whether the person is fit for a parole investigation.)
