Skip to content
LPBN-Icon-v1
EvidenceProf Blog
Editor: Colin Miller

Cyntoia Brown & the “51-To-Life” Project: North Dakota

By Colin Miller

This is the thirty-fifth in a series of posts on the “51-To-Life” Project. In Tennessee, if a juvenile is convicted of first-degree murder, there are two sentencing options: (1) life without the possibility of parole; or (2) life with the possibility of parole, with that possibility only existing after the juvenile has been incarcerated for 51 years. In this post, I will explain why North Dakota treats juvenile homicide offenders better than Tennessee.  

Pursuant to North Dakota Century Code chapter 12.1-32, a court cannot sentence a juvenile to life without parole. Therefore, North Dakota treats juvenile homicide offenders better than Tennessee.

-CM