Should violent offenders under the age of 18 be subjected to life sentences without parole? One case could test the limits of such actions.
A 16-year-old teenager in South Carolina faces the very real possibility of being sentenced to life in prison — without the possibility of parole — for a series of crimes he committed two years ago.
Jesse Osborne pleaded guilty earlier this month to a shooting incident in which he murdered two individuals. The first was his father, who Osborne shot in his home. The second was a 6-year-old student at an elementary school that Osborne had previously attended, per reporting from ABC News .
Osborne’s case is a peculiar one, and is testing the limits of child sentencing laws across the United States. In 2012, the Supreme Court decided in a case that mandatory sentencing laws could not be applied to juvenile offenders when it concerned sending them to prison for life sentences. That verdict from the High Court, however, left open the possibility for juvenile offenders to still receive life sentences without parole, so long as they were rendered by a court without the mandatory requirement.
In other words, a judge ruling in favor of sentencing a child that committed a capital offense to a life behind bars would be legitimate under the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Townsville shooting case to test life sentencing for juveniles https://t.co/65OvPnT8n9 pic.twitter.com/FXwCYhccAx
— News19 WLTX (@WLTX) December 27, 2018
Many may hold the view that Osborne’s crimes are fitting of a life sentence without parole, especially given how heinous they were. But many legal groups oppose the idea that life sentences should be given to criminals who themselves are still children, especially if they’re made without the opportunity for early release.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union , more than 2,570 children are sentenced to life without parole each year. “Despite a global consensus that children cannot be held to the same standards of responsibility as adults and recognition that children are entitled to special protection and treatment, the United States allows children to be treated and punished as adults,” the ACLU wrote on its website discussing the issue.
The Juvenile Law Center agrees with the ACLU, and states a clear opposition to the practice on its own website. “For children, [life sentences without parole] also defies law and research confirming that youth are different than adults and must be treated differently by our justice system,” the organization stated.
Osborne does face a minimum sentence of at least 30 years behind bars. Beyond that, it will be up to the court to come to a decision — with the possibility that the outcome of this case will be further decided upon in appellate courts.
