WASHINGTON, D.C. – Death Penalty Information Center (DPI) has issued a report on the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ultimately ended the juvenile death penalty 20 years ago, noting the legacy of the decision and what this means for emerging adults.
Recent state court decisions have extended legal protections to emerging adults (18-20), added DPI.
According to DPI, age matters when determining the appropriate sentence for young people regarding “society’s harshest punishments.” In Miller v. Alabama (2012), evolving contemporary standards clearly demanded greater protections, reports DPI.
Massachusetts, Michigan and Washington’s supreme courts have restricted or prohibited sentences of life without parole (LWOP) for emerging adults since 2021, adds DPI, explaining the prohibition against LWOP has been extended in these three states to youth ages 18 to 20.
DPI argues this is a step towards the acknowledgement that emerging adults are more similar to juveniles than adults, necessitating they receive special protections under the law as well.
DPI noted how recent scientific and medical evidence regarding age and brain development has significantly impacted these decisions, citing the discovery that “emerging adults were neurologically similar to juveniles with regard to impulse control; risk-taking in pursuit of reward; peer influence; and their capacity for change.”
DPI also said it recognizes that contemporary standards of decency found in state statutes do not support imposing life in prison without the possibility of parole on youth aged 18 to 20.
No clear line between childhood and adulthood exists as modern social science, the precedent, and the history of arbitrary line drawing reveals this, shares DPI.
In 2021, the Washington Supreme Court in the matter of Kurtis Monschke extended prohibition on mandatory life sentences for those under the age of 18 to individuals aged 18, 19 and 20, said DPI, adding in the Parks decision, the court extended it to individuals that were 19 or 20 years old at the time of their convicted crime.
In 2022, the Michigan Supreme Court continued to protect youth and young adults from “cruel or unusual” punishments by extending the prohibition on mandatory LWOP to 18-year-olds, said DPI.
Per DPI, in People v. Stovall, the prohibition on mandatory LWOP to 18 year old homicide offenders that committed second degree murder was extended. With oral arguments, cases were decided on April 10, 2025, and the court extended the prohibition on mandatory LWOP to 19- and 20-year-olds.
