Kaci Schroeder is an assistant attorney general with the Alaska Department of Law, and says the state does not have life without parole for juveniles.
Cyntoia Brown & the “51-To-Life” Project: Alaska
This is the second 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 Alaska treats juvenile homicide offenders better than Tennessee.
Alaska
This one is easy. Alaska apparently has never sentenced a juvenile to a sentence of life without parole. According to this article from earlier in the year,
She says that in talking with senior prosecutors and in her research, she could not find that there was ever such a sentence. She says Alaska appears to have consistently had definite terms of imprisonment.
Therefore, Alaska clearly treats juvenile homicide offenders better than Tennessee, where juveniles homicide offenders can receive sentences of life without parole.
-CM