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U.S. Supreme Court Bans Life Without Parole for Juveniles

For once, Texas was ahead of the trends in the criminal justice system since last session Governor Perry signed SB 839, a bill authored by Senator Juan Hinojosa, which allowed juveniles to be considered for parole after 40 years. Not a huge difference from life in prison, but at least something.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 split vote, held that the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment did not allow a sentence of life without parole for juveniles. Although in this case the juvenile was sentenced for a crime other than murder, the robbery of a store, Texas prohibits the sentence even for murder and the US Supreme Court's reasoning should still apply no matter the charge.



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