Session: Leveraging State and National Research Partnerships to Affect Change in Youth Sentencing Policies (Society for Social Work and Research 30th Annual Conference Anniversary)

Born of decades-long social policies, mass incarceration is a large-scale social problem and driver of social stratification and inequities in the U.S., where ~1.8 million individuals are incarcerated, and Black individuals are disproportionately imprisoned. Life and long sentences make up a considerable proportion of people in state and federal prisons with one in seven incarcerated individuals serving a life sentence and one in three incarcerated individuals serving a sentence of 10+ years. Of those serving life sentences, ~10,000 incarcerated individuals were sentenced for offenses committed when they were children. Support for policies that re-evaluate/reduce harsh sentences for youth is growing, based on evidence that psychosocial maturity through age 25 contributes significantly to desistance and older adults are least likely to recidivate upon release (even for offenses that were violent in nature and originated in childhood). While life and long sentences are not necessary to maintain public safety, concerns about community safety prevail.

Across the U.S., 2,904 children were sentenced to life without parole (JLWOP) for homicide convictions (over 60% of whom are Black) who society deemed too dangerous and irredeemable to be released from prison. Yet two U.S. Supreme Court decisions have provided some hope to reconsider these sentences. In Miller v. Alabama (2012), the Court ruled that mandatory JLWOP sentences for individuals under the age of 18 years at the time of offense were unconstitutional, and Montgomery v. Louisiana (2016), ordered retroactive resentencing for people already sentenced to JLWOP. Each state was left to craft their own set of policies to comply with these rulings. The lack of consistency across states and jurisdictions has fueled concerns about fairness and equity. With nearly 1,200 people resentenced and released since Miller, the JLWOP population uniquely illustrates the challenges for decarceration efforts among life-sentenced individuals.

No studies have examined national variation in JLWOP-related legislation post-Miller, nor factors related to resentencing and release outcomes. Regional studies find juvenile lifers commonly experience growth, insight, and successful reintegration despite high rates of early-life and carceral trauma, de-prioritization of services while imprisoned, and known reentry challenges. However, empirical study of lived experiences related to state-specific statutes is limited. This symposium includes three methodologically distinct studies that have partnered with national advocacy organizations and community agencies to conduct and disseminate research to fill these gaps.

Study 1 examines state-level JLWOP policies resulting from the Miller and Montgomery rulings. Utilizing policy surveillance methods, authors present a national dataset that can be analyzed and used for statistical inference in ongoing reform efforts.

Study 2 examines differences in outcomes and factors associated with resentencing and release decisions among the national JLWOP population. This study explores how second-look policies remediate or exacerbate racial disproportionality in who is resentenced and released and who remains behind bars.

Study 3 contextualizes the human costs of harsh sentencing on youth by presenting experiences of adults in one state who were released from sentences imposed when they were minors. This qualitative study provides insight for how states can support reentry from life and long sentences.