Calif. Court Rules Life Term for Juvenile Unconstitutional
Teen was sentenced to 110 years for attempted murder.
Sentencing a juvenile offender to 110 years to life in prison for attempted murder is cruel and unusual punishment, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday, striking down a sentence in a Los Angeles County case.
The state high court's decision comes as courts across the nation are grappling with the ramifications of a 2010 U.S. Supreme Courtdecision that found it unconstitutional to sentence a juvenile convicted of a crime other than murder to life in prison without parole. In that case, Graham vs. Florida, the court ruled that young offenders should be given "some realistic opportunity" for release, citing "fundamental differences between juvenile and adult minds."