Title: Criminal Law - A Small Step Forward in Juvenile Sentencing, but Is It Enough: The United States Supreme Court Ends Mandatory Juvenile Life without Parole Sentences; Miller v. Alabama, 32 S. Ct. 2455 (2012)
Abstract: Time eases all things." 1 -SophoclesIn light of its recent, more progressive rulings, the United States Supreme Court has concluded time does ease the unfortunate immaturity of juvenile homicide offenders, who deserve the opportunity to prove they have demonstrated enough maturity and rehabilitation to reenter society. 2 This conclusion prevailed despite a shift in social perceptions reflecting both a more punitive stance towards crime and an increasing desire to try juveniles as adults, especially those juveniles committing the most serious crimes. 3 The tension between punitive social perceptions and juvenile rehabilitation collided in 2005 when the United States Supreme Court categorically outlawed the death penalty for juveniles. 4 In 2010, the Court prohibited the imposition of