In
2012, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to hear Miller v.
Alabama, which involved two 14-year-old boys who were convicted of murder
during an attempted robbery. The state court allowed the juveniles to be tried
as adults. As a result, at 14-years-old, they were sentenced to life imprisonment
with no chance of parole due to mandatory sentencing guidelines, which did not
allow the judge to consider any factors related to the juvenile’s life. In
evaluating the state’s decision, the Supreme Court ruled that life without
parole for juveniles violated the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits cruel and
unusual punishment, when mitigating factors are not considered in the
sentencing. The judge writing for the majority stated:
