I'm continuing to reflect on Graham v. FL's 10-year anniversary this month and thinking a lot about why we STILL sentence kids to die in prison given all we know about juveniles' brains and the fundamental unfairness of *which* kids receive this sentence. 1/10

I think JLWOP persists for a few reasons, none of which are defensible. 1) To begin, as a nation, we seem to have an incredible appetite for extreme criminal sentences across the board. One of every nine people in prison is serving a life sentence. 2/10

This is simply astonishing. In most European nations, criminal sentences rarely exceed twenty years. These nations recognize that there are diminishing returns to incarceration and that the experience of prison itself can be dehumanizing. 3/10

But not us. When I ask my first-year law students what sentence they think might be appropriate in a given criminal case, I’m always shocked at the ease with which they suggest 10, 20, 50-year sentences. It’s not because they’re harsh or indifferent. 4/10

It’s because they’re marinating in a society that has lost sight of how severe those sentences are. One hour inside an American prison would change the average voter’s/juror’s perspective on what's an appropriate criminal sentence for anyone, let alone a kid. 5/10

2) Kids are still being sentenced to die in prison based on geographic bad luck. On remand in FL, Graham was re-sentenced to 25 years. But after Graham v. FL, WV passed legislation to abolish JLWOP and give youth in prison a parole hearing after no more than 15 years. 6/10

This “justice by geography” ignores the mountain of evidence telling us that kids are different. No matter what state they're in. 7/10

3)This is the big one. People assume “those kids” who end up in prison must be *really* bad. Extreme juvenile sentencing can’t be a function of our shortcomings as a society, but rather must be a necessary tool to deal with violent, dangerous youth. 8/10

These assumptions couldn’t be more misguided. Justice-involved youth tend to be our most vulnerable youth. Youth of color. Youth of poverty. Youth of incredible trauma. 9/10

And we ignore “those kids” when they need help extricating themselves from violence, addiction, hunger, and neglect only to punish them in draconian fashion when they end up in the criminal justice system.

It's just cruel and irresponsible. Time to #EndJLWOP 10/10