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As Elon Musk looks on, Trump says he's giving DOGE even more power; Officials monitor latest AR bird flu outbreak; NV lawmaker proposes new date for Indigenous Peoples Day; NM lawmaker says journalists of all stripes need protection; Closure of EPA branch would harm VA environment.

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A court weighs the right of New York City noncitizens to vote in local elections, Vice President Vance suggests courts can't overrule a president, and states increasingly challenge the validity of student IDs at the ballot box.

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Medical debt, which tops $90 billion has an outsized impact on rural communities, a new photography book shares the story of 5,000 schools built for Black students between 1912 and 1937, and anti-hunger advocates champion SNAP.

Report: Alabama juveniles left behind despite sentencing reforms

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Friday, August 23, 2024   

Efforts to reform juvenile sentencing in the U.S. have made significant strides but a new report showed Alabama is lagging behind.

A study by The Sentencing Project said two in five people sentenced to life without parole were 25 or younger at the time of their crime.

Ashley Nellis, co-director of research for The Sentencing Project, and co-author of the report, said brain science supports the idea people are most prone to criminal behavior in their late teens to mid-20s, a period of heightened risk-taking and impulsivity. She believes young offenders deserve a second chance as they mature.

"There hasn't been a fair response to those who are sitting there 10, 20, 30 years into their sentence and not having any sort of relief, even though many agree now that the adolescent brain is a critical component to consider as sentencing," Nellis explained.

Currently, 55 people in Alabama are serving life without parole or a virtual life sentence for crimes they committed before turning 18.

The report also uncovered racial disparities, with more than 80% of those serving juvenile life without parole in Alabama being Black. Nationally, the figure is 53%.

Nellis argued it is important to extend reforms across the country, as landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases since 2010 have recognized minors should not be held to the same standards of culpability as adults. The rulings acknowledged youth are more susceptible to risk-taking and impulsive behavior, especially in emotionally charged situations.

"The U.S. Supreme Court has weighed in on life without parole for juveniles and severely limited the allowable use of life without parole for young people," Nellis noted. "But they stopped short of telling the states how to implement."

The report urged policymakers to craft reforms reflecting current brain science and apply to all forms of life imprisonment and extreme sentencing. While 28 states have banned life without parole for minors, and five have eliminated it entirely, Alabama has yet to follow suit.


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