(AP) – An Arkansas judge has struck down a new state law
eliminating mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles, ruling that
it denies individualized sentencing hearings to offenders who are in prison for
offenses committed when they were minors.Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen ruled the law unconstitutional
Thursday and ordered a new sentencing hearing for a man convicted of capital
murder for a fatal shooting he committed when he was 16. The new Arkansas law
was enacted this year to comply with recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that
say mandatory life sentences for juveniles are unconstitutional.
eliminating mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles, ruling that
it denies individualized sentencing hearings to offenders who are in prison for
offenses committed when they were minors.Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen ruled the law unconstitutional
Thursday and ordered a new sentencing hearing for a man convicted of capital
murder for a fatal shooting he committed when he was 16. The new Arkansas law
was enacted this year to comply with recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that
say mandatory life sentences for juveniles are unconstitutional.
The law allows minors who were given life-without-parole sentences to be
eligible for parole after serving 20 to 30 years in prison, depending on the
charges.
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