Understanding Resentencing and Release Outcomes Amongst Child-lifers Eligible for Sentence Review Following Miller

• In Event: The Second Chances Study: A National Study of People Sentenced to JLWOP in the United States

Abstract

Since 2012, roughly 1,100 of 2,904 individuals sentenced to life without parole as minors have been released via “second look” sentence review mechanisms (Bennett et al., 2024). The majority of the remaining 1800 are eligible for sentence review but have not been released. The current study explores possible explanations for why so many remain incarcerated, drawing from survey data of individuals sentenced to JLWOP pre-2012 who are still incarcerated (n = ~300) and state-level policy data. Survey items report background information about participants’ controlling offenses (e.g., number of victims, role in offense) as well as information about their resentencing and parole review experiences (e.g., did they have a lawyer? did victims provide input opposing release?). Preliminary results suggest several key trends based on state-level factors (e.g. parole process) and controlling offenses (i.e., number of victims; whether their offense involved criminal sexual conduct), providing implications for second-look policies as a tool for decarceration initiatives.

Authors

• Leah Ouellet, Northwestern University

• Jeffrey T. Ward, Temple University

• Daphne M. Brydon, University of Cincinnati

• J.Z. Bennett, University of Cincinnati

• Dylan B. Jackson, Johns Hopkins University

• Rebecca Turner, Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth

• Laura S. Abrams, University of California, Los Angeles