In the United States, at least seventy-nine minors under fourteen are serving life sentences without parole — condemned to die in prison. Human rights groups like Amnesty International and the Equal Justice Initiative call this a violation of basic justice, arguing that children are still growing and capable of change. Many of these youth come from lives marked by poverty, abuse, and neglect — failures of society long before their crimes.
The case of Lionel Tate, sentenced to life at just twelve, exposed this injustice and sparked national debate. Though Supreme Court rulings like Miller v. Alabama and Montgomery v. Louisiana limited such sentences, many states remain resistant. Experts stress that children’s brains are still developing; punishment without hope ignores their capacity for growth, compassion, and redemption.
