Black juveniles are disproportionately sentenced to life without parole and represent an overwhelming 60% of the prisoners serving such sentences. Without a doubt, this grim statistic has roots in the unique ways in which Black young people are criminalized in the U.S. 

In a move that could have righted a terrible wrong in our criminal justice system, the Supreme Court ruled last year that its landmark decision banning mandatory life without parole sentences for juvenile offenders, known as Miller v. Alabama, would apply retroactively. The Court recognized that children’s judgement is not fully formed, so it’s ethically wrong to equate their offenses with crimes carried out by adults.

It tasked local prosecutors with holding re-sentencing hearings for the 2,500 Americans who had been serving life sentences for crimes they committed as children. Many of these people had already been in prison for decades but local prosecutors continue to seek life sentences without even a chance to convince a parole board of their rehabilitation.

For decades the power wielded by prosecutors has been mostly used to fuel incarceration as they have sought high conviction rates, long sentences and avoided sentence reductions in the belief that appearing “tough on crime” would win them elections and advance their careers. 

But local prosecutors answer to you and they respond to pressure. Tell yours to end juvenile life without parole.