Washington, DC —The Sentencing Project recently released a report that finds a large portion of people sentenced to die in prison were emerging adults 25 and younger when sentenced to life without parole (LWOP), despite irrefutable evidence that their younger age contributes to diminished capacity to comprehend the risk and consequences of their actions.
“Our criminal legal system relies on an outdated and unscientific view that brain development is complete at age 18,” said Ashley Nellis, Co-Director of Research at The Sentencing Project and lead author of today’s report. Left to Die in Prison: Emerging Adults 25 and Younger Sentenced to Life without Parole finds that the peak age at conviction for people sentenced to LWOP was 23-years-old, falling well within the period of emerging adulthood. “Emerging adults share many key developmental characteristics with adolescents under age 18. Despite their serious crimes, these individuals have tremendous potential for growth and opportunity.”
The Sentencing Project analyzed nearly 30,000 life-without-parole (LWOP) sentences imposed over a 22-year period in 20 states, comprising approximately 70% of the total LWOP population. The study found:
Two in five people sentenced to LWOP were 25 and younger at the time of their sentence, amounting to more than 11,000 people sentenced over this period.
The peak age at conviction for people sentenced to LWOP was 23-years-old, falling well within the period of emerging adulthood.
Two-thirds of those sentenced to LWOP as emerging adults were Black, revealing that being young and Black appears to be associated with a greater likelihood of receiving LWOP than the trends we observe among older people sentenced to LWOP.
U.S. courts have ruled that people under 18 should be protected against the cruelest sentences because of limits in their brain development. The report authors recommend extending this understanding to the full class of individuals who fall into this stage of development. Specifically, we recommend the U.S. eliminate the use of LWOP and impose a sentence cap at 15 years for people 25 and younger.
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