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Roper / Graham / Miller / Montgomery

A series of Supreme Court decisions that limit the punishments available for children who commit the most serious crimes. Beginning in 2005, the Supreme Court prohibited death sentences for crimes committed as children, then life-without-parole sentences for non-homicide crimes, then said even homicide crimes can only get life without parole in the "rarest" of circumstances. The overarching idea is, kids are different, and less deserving of the harshest punishments, because their brains are not yet developed and they have better hopes of rehabilitation and change.

Evan Miller, right, was escorted to the Lawrence County Courthouse in Moulton, Ala., in 2006. In April 2021, he was resentenced to life without parole for the 2003 murder of Cole Cannon.
News April 30, 2021
Supreme Court Conservatives Just Made It Easier to Sentence Kids to Life in Prison
The new ruling could worsen existing racial disparities in states that condemn teens to die in prison.
By
Abd’Allah Lateef was a teenager when he entered prison and was middle-aged when he got out. He now advocates for much shorter sentences for juveniles.
Justice Lab January 30, 2020
What’s the Meaning of “Life” When Sentencing Kids?
The Supreme Court ended automatic life without parole for children. What replaces it remains unclear.
By
In Roper v. Simmons, the Supreme Court ruled that teenagers who are younger than 18 when they commit murder cannot be executed. Christopher Simmons, who brought the case, was 17 when he murdered a woman in 1993 and 18 when he was sentenced to death. He’s now serving life without parole.
News August 12, 2018
The Right Age to Die?
For some, science is outpacing the High Court on juveniles and the death penalty.
By
News March 12, 2017
Was Evan Miller ‘The Rare Juvenile’ Who Deserved Life Without Parole?
Now 28, he’ll be re-sentenced, unless the court finds him ‘irreparably corrupt.’
By
News May 19, 2016
When Parole Boards Trump the Supreme Court
The high court has said most kids shouldn't be sentenced to life without parole, but some prisoners' fate are in the hands of politics.
By
News September 22, 2015
Life Without Parole: For Juveniles, 5 Tough Counties
New study places a quarter of the sentences in a handful of urban areas.
By
Commentary June 12, 2015
How Do We Hold a Child’s Mind Accountable?
A Colorado judge on why we don’t know nearly enough about the link between the young brains and behavior.
By Morris B. Hoffman
News May 20, 2015
Life Expectancy
How many years make a life sentence for a teenager?
By
Commentary March 2, 2015
Reflections on Roper
On the 10th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision about juveniles and the death penalty, what has really changed?
By
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