Oregon Juvenile Sentencing Laws Unconstitutional, Lawyers Argue

Lawyers and legislators in Oregon are arguing that the state’s sentencing guidelines regarding juveniles convicted of murder are in violation of the Constitution.

From NPR:

“Attorneys and lawmakers in Oregon say the state is violating the U.S. Constitution because of laws that require juveniles convicted of murder to be sentenced to what amounts to mandatory life imprisonment.

“In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a case called Miller v. Alabama. The nation’s high court ruled it was a violation of the 8th Amendment to sentence a juvenile to the life without the possibility of parole if that’s the only sentence a judge or jury can impose. In other words, there needs to be options.

“On paper, Oregon has two options for sentencing juveniles convicted of aggravated murder.

Life without the possibility of parole; or a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison after which your sentence may be converted to one with a possibility of parole. But the possibility of parole isn’t a given.”

The details regarding Measure 11, the 1994 law that established the juvenile sentencing guidelines at issue in Oregon, can be found HERE.

If you have any questions about the Oregon courts, or would like to know more about any of our other products and services, please contact us at 866-643-7084 or customerservice@courttrax.com

More From Our Blog

White House Animation
Friday November 29, 2024

The New Administration to Scrap the Biden Title Insurance Requirements

KEY ISSUES At the beginning of 2025 it is predicted that President-elect Trump will be planning […]

Read More

Second Amendment Foundation
Monday November 18, 2024

Latest Update: WA State Courts Odyssey System Outage Status

KEY ISSUES Current State of the WAAOC The Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts (WAAOC) […]

Read More

Law Books
Thursday November 14, 2024

Washington State Courts System Outage: What It Means for Legal Proceedings

KEY ISSUES: All Washington State clients that have been waiting on the WAAOC there is hope. […]

Read More