Iowa Ruling Offers Juvenile Criminals Hope

On May 27th, the Supreme Court of Iowa decreed that there will be no more life-long prison sentences without the chance of parole for minors convicted of first-degree murder. From now on, in the state of Iowa, no young man or woman will be locked up for life for what could be chalked up as childhood mistake. Everybody deserves the chance to prove that they changed.

The vote was a close one – 4 to 3. The majority of judges felt that such a definite sentence for such a young person is nothing less than “cruel and unusual punishment.” Juveniles will now be permitted to appear before the Iowa Board of Parole and fight their case, hoping to prove that they learned something from their time in prison.

Justice Brent Appel, a representative for the winning vote, said that “the young offenders’ brains are still developing … youthful offenders have reliable prospects for turning their lives around.”

This ruling will apply to cases that already exist. For example, Isaiah Sweet was convicted with the first-degree murder of his grandparents in 2012. He was 17 years old. He was sent to prison without the chance for parole, as the judge believed that he was “a cold-blooded murderer” who was both incapable of change and undeserving of a second chance. Such a close-minded point of view no longer exists. Sweet will have the chance to fight for parole.

However, this decision doesn’t indicate leniency. Every single juvenile who commits murder won’t be given such a chance. These young people have to prove that they’ve seen the error of their ways, and it will be an arduous process to rehabilitation. Appel stated that “[offenders] who over time show irredeemable corruption will no doubt spend their lives in prison.”

All this decision means is that the length of a minor’s stay in prison will not be decided by the judge who delivers the sentence, but by the officials who regulate parole. Appel promised that “the board will be better able to discern whether the offender is irreparably corrupt after time has passed, after opportunities for maturation and rehabilitation have been provided … after a record of success or failure in the rehabilitative process is available.”

Change is in the air. Young criminals are being offered the chance to rehabilitate themselves, and they’re being given the most important thing. Hope.

Featured Image via Flickr/Steven K. Willard