Six people who killed as children in Pierce County might get relief from their life-without-parole sentences based on a Monday ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. Mandatory sentences of life without the possibility of parole for juveniles are unconstitutional, the nation’s highest court declared. In a 5-4 decision, the court said imposing such penalties on children without taking into account mitigating factors including their susceptibility to peer pressure and negative parental influences violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishments. While juveniles might still be sentenced to life without parole, such sentences should be rare and not arrived...
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