A new report by the University of San Francisco’s Center for Law and Global Justice, points out a dispicable statistic, via the LA Times:
California has sentenced more juveniles to life in prison without possibility of parole than any state in the nation except Pennsylvania, according to a new study by the University of San Francisco’s Center for Law and Global Justice. California currently has 227 inmates serving such sentences for crimes committed before they turned 18; Pennsylvania has 433.
The study, titled “Sentencing Children to Die in Prison,” also found that the United States has far more juveniles serving life terms than any other country — 2,387 at present — with Israel running a distant second at 7. Israel, the only other country that imprisons juveniles for life, according to the study, has not issued such a sentence since 2004.(LAT 11.19.07)
The full report can be viewed here (PDF).
A rush of adjectives come at me on this statistic, but I’m not sure if any are truly appropriate. Clearly we are failing our children, giving up entirely on the idea of rehabilitation, and dooming ourselves to failure. Surely there must be a better solution, both in California, and for our nation in general. We can’t afford to blindly pursue ToughOnCrimeTM without considering the consequences.
I should point out that Sen. Leland Yee (D-SF) has a bill pending in the Senate, SB 999, that would allow for the possibility of parole for all juvenile offenders after 25 years in prison. The Bill goes to the floor in January. Unfortunately it will need 2/3 support, and I’m not sure how many Repubs will be willing to look past their war drum to what is best for the state.