Abstract: Race Differences in Resentencing and Release Outcomes for Individuals Sentenced to Juvenile Life without Parole (Society for Social Work and Research 30th Annual Conference Anniversary)

Schedule:

Saturday, January 17, 2026

Congress, ML 4 (Marriott Marquis Washington DC)

* noted as presenting author

Jeffrey Ward, PhD, Associate Professor, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

Laura S. Abrams, PhD, Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

Dylan B. Jackson, PhD, Associate Professor, The Johns Hopkins University, MD

J.Z. Bennett, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati, OH

Daphne M. Brydon, PhD, LMSW, Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati, OH

Leah Ouellet, M.S., Doctoral Student, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

Rebecca Turner, JD, Senior Litigation Counsel, Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, DC

Background and Purpose: The U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions in Miller v. Alabama (2012) and Montgomery v. Louisiana (2016) invalidated the use of mandatory life without the possibility of parole for individuals under the age of 18 (JLWOP) with retroactive application to all those serving these sentences. To date, an overwhelming majority of juvenile lifers have been resentenced and more than one thousand have been released from prison (Bennett et al., 2024). Prior research has documented racial disproportionality in the use of JLWOP sentences where Black persons have been more likely to receive these sentences. However, there is limited understanding of whether racial disproportionality exists in resentencing and release outcomes following the landmark Supreme Court decisions that have granted second-looks to the JLWOP population.

Methods: The present study uses archival data to examine the resentencing and release outcomes of more than 2,904 individuals sentenced to life without the possibility of parole as minors prior to Miller. Bivariate logistic regression is used to examine whether race is associated with the likelihood of being resentenced to a life sentence, likelihood of being released from prison, and various factors such as murder charge and presence of co-defendants. Multiple conditional logistic regression models are used to examine whether race is associated with these outcomes when controlling for state policy contexts and various case and other factors.

Results: Although JLWOP sentences were originally disproportionality handed out to Black persons, bivariate analysis finds that Black persons are less likely to be resentenced to a life term and more likely to be released from prison compared to their White demographic counterparts. Furthermore, compared to White persons, Black persons were found to be less likely to be charged with first-degree murder, more likely to have a co-defendant associated with their original case, less likely to have a rape or conviction charge, and less likely to have a victim who was a family member. When controlling for state policy context and certain case and other factors, Black persons are also found to be less likely to be resentenced to a life term and more likely to be released from prison. The study further explores whether different case characteristics (e.g., murder charge, family member victim) are associated with resentencing and release outcomes differently by race.

Conclusions and Implications: Second chance opportunities for individuals sentenced to life and long sentences as youth and young adults are increasing due to significant policy changes in the wake of the landmark Miller and Montgomery decisions. The findings of this study have important implications for understanding the nuances in disproportionality in resentencing and release outcomes in an era of increasing second chance opportunities.