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In Roper v. Simmons, the Supreme Court ruled that teenagers who are younger than 18 when they commit murder cannot be executed. Christopher Simmons, who brought the case, was 17 when he murdered a woman in 1993 and 18 when he was sentenced to death. He’s now serving life without parole.
News August 12, 2018
The Right Age to Die?
For some, science is outpacing the High Court on juveniles and the death penalty.
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Feature January 4, 2016
This Boy’s Life
At 16, Taurus Buchanan threw one deadly punch—and was sent away for life. Will the Supreme Court give him, and hundreds like him, a chance at freedom?
By and
News May 19, 2016
When Parole Boards Trump the Supreme Court
The high court has said most kids shouldn't be sentenced to life without parole, but some prisoners' fate are in the hands of politics.
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Judge Denise Navarre Cubbon in her courtroom with a juvenile offender in 2015 at the Lucas County Juvenile Court in Toledo, Ohio.
Justice Lab October 27, 2016
Who’s a Kid?
Science — and law enforcement — are rethinking young adults.
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Boys walking to lunch at the Circleville Juvenile Correctional Facility in Ohio.
Commentary January 24, 2017
What We Can Learn from the Amazing Drop in Juvenile Incarceration
Lesson One: Don’t make policies when emotions are running high.
Ashley Nellis and Marc Mauer
Abd’Allah Lateef was a teenager when he entered prison and was middle-aged when he got out. He now advocates for much shorter sentences for juveniles.
Justice Lab January 30, 2020
What’s the Meaning of “Life” When Sentencing Kids?
The Supreme Court ended automatic life without parole for children. What replaces it remains unclear.
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Feature September 26, 2024
The Future of Prisons?
Inspired by Germany, South Carolina let prisoners design their own units, write house rules and settle their own disputes. Then came politics.
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A Black man wearing glasses, dark green prison pants and a tan sweater is holding a microphone as he asks a question to a woman in the foreground, who is sitting on a chair with her back turned to the camera. Alongside the man sit four other men in the same green prison pants and a variety of shirts. Members of the audience look on from their blue-colored seats.
Feature October 29, 2024
Incarcerated Men at Sing Sing’s First Film Festival Reflect on Movies, Justice, and Change
The diverse group of jurors shared how their favorite films have shaped their perspectives on community and life behind bars.
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A photo of a small red building situated on a grassy landscape dotted with trees is overlaid on a monochrome photo of a campus dotted with buildings and trees.
Feature July 14, 2025
Dozens of Teens Who Spent Time at Abusive Florida Reform School Ended Up on Death Row
At least 34 boys from the Dozier School were later sentenced to death. Did abuse make them more violent?
By Leonora Lapeter Anton
News December 1, 2014
Crazy or Faking It?
The impending execution of Scott Panetti and the search for a standard of sanity.
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SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA - DECEMBER 19: (Editorial Use Only) Anthony Alvarez (L), age 82, waits for the daily prisoner count while sitting on the floor of his cell at California Men’s Colony prison on December 19, 2013 in San Luis Obispo, California. Alvarez is helped by the Gold Coats, a volunteer care program where healthy prisoners volunteer to take care of elderly prisoners who either need general assistance with mobility and every day life or who also struggle with Alzheimer’s and dementia. The program, the first of it’s kind in the country, has existed for approximately 25 years. According to Alvarez, he has been incarcerated for 42 years due to a series of burglaries, possession of illegal firearms and escapes from county jail. Eventually these convictions led to him getting a life sentence due to three-strike laws. “I never shot anyone,” Alvarez said, “I had the chance but I could never shoot anyone.” Today is Alvarez’s first day being assisted by the Gold Coats; he largely needs help with mobility. Alvarez tries to work out for a few minutes every other day. He says he would like to apply for compassionate release, a program where prisoners are released from prison after being found no longer a threat to society, or if a doctor deems that they are within the last six months of their life. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
Justice Lab March 20, 2015
Too Old to Commit Crime?
Why people age out of crime, and what it could mean for how long we put them away.
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News May 20, 2015
Life Expectancy
How many years make a life sentence for a teenager?
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Bill Bratton during his first stint as New York’s Police Commissioner, at a news conference in 1994.
News May 20, 2015
A Millennial’s Guide to ‘Broken Windows’
For those who weren’t around in “the bad old days.”
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Feature February 2, 2016
What’s Justice for Kids Who Kill?
Kahton Anderson and the raging raise-the-age debate.
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News September 22, 2015
Life Without Parole: For Juveniles, 5 Tough Counties
New study places a quarter of the sentences in a handful of urban areas.
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Feature September 25, 2015
Prison Without Punishment
Germany allows inmates to wear their own clothes, cook their own meals, and have romantic visits. Could that work in the United States?
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News January 25, 2016
The Supreme Court May Have Just Granted Thousands of Prisoners a Chance of Freedom
The Montgomery ruling says juveniles sentenced to life without parole must get a shot at a new sentence or parole.
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Life Inside March 10, 2016
My Regrets as a Juror Who Sent a Man to Death Row
“If I could have done anything, it would have been to deadlock the jury, but I didn’t have the personal strength to do that.”
By Sven Berger as told to
Feature June 28, 2016
The Day My Brother Took a Life and Changed Mine Forever
I grew up idolizing my brother. Then he killed a man.
By Issac Bailey
Prisoners train dogs at Bay Correctional Facility in Panama City, Fla.
Life Inside September 1, 2016
How Having a Dog Changed My Life in Prison
“Until now, touching another living thing took place in the context of fights, pat-downs, and strip searches.”
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Lt. Sekou Millington of the Oakland Police Department uses his taser to respond to a video scenario of a man wielding a knife.
Justice Lab October 12, 2016
When Do You Go for Your Gun?
Training cops in the use of force.
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Looking Back December 20, 2016
Homer and Harold
An extraordinary story of justice done, and what came after.
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Commentary December 21, 2016
Some of Our Best Work in 2016
In-depth investigations, insightful features and one story to give us hope.
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News March 12, 2017
Was Evan Miller ‘The Rare Juvenile’ Who Deserved Life Without Parole?
Now 28, he’ll be re-sentenced, unless the court finds him ‘irreparably corrupt.’
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Feature May 31, 2017
Downloading a Nightmare
When autism, child pornography and the courts collide.
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