until last week, a person in ohio could be sentenced to life without parole for a crime they committed as a child. a couple of thoughts on this... https://theappeal.org/politicalreport/ohio-ends-juvenile-life-without-parole/

one of the cruelest realities of the american criminal justice system is how harshly we are willing to punish children. contra all scientific and sociological evidence, we treat children as if they have the capacity, judgment, and responsibility of adults.

until just a few years ago, there were around 2600 people serving life without parole sentences for crimes they committed as children.

that's changing a little bit. the supreme court ruled mandatory juvenile LWOP sentences unconstitutional in 2016, which gave some an opportunity to be resentenced. and, with ohio, 24 states + DC now have outlawed these sentences.

but these sentences are still legal in the other 26 states, and depending on who your local prosecutor is, they may be throwing kids away for the rest of their lives.

it seemed like it was only a matter of time before SCOTUS banned JLWOP across the board. but, because the court looks like it does these days, the only way to change this is likely piecemeal - state legislative bans like ohio's, local prosecutors who reject these sentences, etc.

the fact that we are willing to tell people that they are never deserving of a second chance for something they did as a child -- that they cannot change or grow -- is a horrible indictment of our system.

please read @taniel's article on juvenile life without parole, above. and check out this ep of Justice in America that @ClintSmithIII and I did, where we interviewed Abd’Allah Lateef, who was sentenced to die in prison for a crime he committed at age 17. https://theappeal.org/justice-in-america-episode-13-juvenile-justice/