AG Hood: New teen sentences likely
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The only Mississippi cases likely to be affected by the U.S. Supreme Court’s new juvenile sentencing ruling are those capital murder cases where a defendant under the age of 18 was sentenced to life without parole as an automatic sentence, according to Attorney General Jim Hood.
On Monday, the Supreme Court threw out mandatory life in prison without parole for juveniles. The decision left open the possibility that individual judges could sentence juveniles to life without parole in individual cases of murder, but said state and federal laws cannot automatically impose such a sentence.
Mississippi corrections officials initially said 56 inmates were in custody who were sentenced when they were 18 or younger, but said Tuesday some inmates had multiple counts and the actual number is 46 serving capital murder sentences.
6/26/12
Magnolia Tribune
