Supreme Court Eliminates Mandatory Life Without Parole for Juveniles

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that juveniles may not be sentenced automatically to life without the possibility of parole for homicide because that sentence violates the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The decision follows recent rulings that outlawed the death penalty for juveniles and life without parole for young people whose crimes did not involve homicide. Research by the MacArthur Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice, cited by the Court in previous decisions, found that young people are less culpable — and more amenable to rehabilitation — because of their immaturity.