About Victim's of Juvenile Life without Parole

Welcome!
I recently heard the group of people who follow this issue referred to as 'the club noone wants to belong to'. That is such an appropriate description for the people who are concerned with JLWOP, probably on both sides of the issue.

In the United States, there are a ~ 2200 people serving life sentences in prisons for crimes they committed as children. The focus on this issue has been increasing as both information becomes more readily available online, and human rights groups get involved in the discussion. The movement to parole some of these people and alter legislation that allows this type of sentence for juveniles is in full swing. In the next session of the United States Supreme Court, they will argue life sentences without parole for 2 different Juvenile offenders. As that case begins to take shape, it is with a touch of sadness and a sense of purpose that the people who lost loved ones to those juvenile offenders have to stand up and fight back.

If you search the web for JLWOP, you will find all sorts of sources about why it is cruel, unusual, and unjust to incarcerate a child for the length of their life. They were just kids, didn't we all make mistakes, don't we all deserve a second chance? I think it's fair to say that most of us DID make mistakes as a child we are truly sorry for and would like to take back, but you can't take it back. Now, imagine that the 'mistake' the person made was to take another person's life? All the remorse and regret in the world will not undo that act. The lives that are touched and destroyed by your actions in that case are never the same. In theory, a person can be rehabilitated, ask for forgiveness, and learn from their mistakes. But, when a crime is so heinous that it was eligible for this type of sentence in the first place, the concept of justice requires that the perpetrator serve their sentence, as a means of serving that justice, which is one of the few things victims in these scenarios have left to hold on to.

Our missions here is a simple one, but one that has not really been served in the age of the internet. For many of these offenders for whom you are asked to have mercy there are dead parents, siblings, children, and loved ones. Those people, the true victims, cannot speak for themselves. They did not get a second chance at life. They are gone, often leaving loved ones who try desperately to cling to their positive memories while attempting to forget the tragedy of their deaths. What is intended here, is to provide a voice to those victims. To put a face and some humanity on those victims. When you read the human rights studies, you will see the numbers, with the crimes diminished to a statistical measure. What I ask, is that you realize that with each of those numbers in a chart, there is a person, who had dreams, hopes, and loved ones that is no longer on this earth.

If there is a need to change legislation regarding sentincing laws, there needs to be both consideration for the crime on an individual basis and those changes should be prospective. Any changes to any sentincing laws that are retrospective would shatter many lives that have already been pieced together.

Starting with my next post, I'll introduce you to some of the victims of the folks serving JLWOP. You can put a face and a name and the circumstances to those statistics you see in reports. I'll also try to keep you updated on issues or news stories that talk about the issue.

If you haven't done so, please visit The National Organization of Victims of Juvenile Lifers It is a great place to meet other family members who lost loved ones to Juveniles.

Thanks for reading. It is truly my belief that together we can make a difference. Please contact me if you would like further information or would like to have your loved one profiled here.