Tag Archive for: U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS)

, , ,

No Break for ‘Vampire Cult’ Killer Rod Ferrell, Life Sentences Stand

Rod Ferrell, known as a teen vampire cult leader convicted in the beating deaths of a Eustis couple, lost his bid to shorten the life sentences he is serving. The 55-page decision, written by Circuit Judge G. Richard Singeltary…
, ,

What’s the Meaning of “Life” When Sentencing Kids?

Say you’re a teenager who has committed a serious crime, and a judge is about to sentence you to prison for a very long time. How long a sentence would the judge have to hand down for it to feel essentially the same as being sent to prison…
, , , ,

ABA Urges Supreme Court to Follow Miller Standard for Juvenile Punishments

In an amicus brief filed Tuesday, the ABA urged the U.S. Supreme Court to recognize that juveniles’ “diminished culpability and greater prospects for reform” separate them from adults and that those whose crimes “reflect transient…
, , , ,

Supreme Court Won’t Consider Expanding Juvenile Death Ban

The U.S. Supreme Court refused on Tuesday to consider extending its ban on executing juvenile offenders to people who were as old as 20 when they committed their crimes. The justices also denied a stay of execution for Michael Brandon Samra,…
,

Juvenile Lifers Struggle to Navigate Reentry After Release

In 2016, the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles automatically sentenced to life without parole must have a chance for release. But juvenile lifers who left prison say society wasn't prepared for them. Read more.
, , , , , , ,

After 55 Years in Prison, Baton Rouge Man Key to Supreme Court Ruling Again Denied Freedom

Henry Montgomery's victory at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016 created a way for hundreds of prisoners like him — those convicted of horrific crimes while juveniles — to earn their freedom by demonstrating their rehabilitation since their…
, , , ,

Supreme Court to Consider Whether Beltway Sniper Lee Boyd Malvo Deserves New Sentencing

The Supreme Court on Monday said it will consider whether Lee Boyd Malvo, the teenage half of the Beltway snipers who terrorized the Washington region 16 years ago, may challenge his sentence of life in prison without parole. Malvo, 34, was…
, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When Kids Kill

Two were only 13 years old. Three were just a few months shy of turning 18. Four committed their crimes in this decade, and just as many have spent more than 30 years behind bars. At least two sold sex for money. One witnessed his father…
, , ,

Florida Supreme Court Reverses Course on Re-Sentencing for Juvenile Offenders

About two years ago, the Florida Supreme Court decided that juvenile offenders serving sentences so lengthy that they amount to life in prison must have their cases reconsidered. The ruling applied even to juveniles who at some point would…
, , , , , , , , ,

Cleo LeCroy to be Freed from Prison for 1981 Murders of Newlyweds

Just two months shy of his 18th birthday when he gunned down John and Gail Hardeman at Brown’s Farm Wildlife Management Area, LeCroy benefited from two-back-to-back U.S. Supreme Court decisions. In 2010 and again in 2012, the nation’s highest…
, , ,

Juvenile Law Center Files Brief Before U.S. Supreme Court to Ensure Protections for Children Facing Fines and Fees

Juvenile Law Center submitted an amicus brief on Wednesday in the United States Supreme Court on behalf of 41 youth advocacy organizations in the case of Tyson Timbs v. State of Indiana. The brief supports Mr. Timbs' position that the U.S.…
, , , , ,

Registration Open: Miller/Graham Updates by Roseanne Eckert

Join CFACDL Wednesday, September 26 from 11:30am-1:15pm on Miller/Graham Updates with speaker Roseanne Eckert from the Juvenile Resentencing and Review Project. Register here.