With the United States Supreme Court decision in Montgomery v. Louisiana, making Miller v. Alabama retroactive, the Court held that states must hold re-sentencing hearings or extend parole eligibility to juvenile homicide offenders who were sentenced to mandatory life in prison. In Justice Kennedy’s words, “The opportunity for release will be afforded to those who demonstrate the truth of Miller’s central intuition—that children who commit even heinous crimes are capable of change.” Essentially, sentences of life without the possibility of parole for juveniles are unconstitutional, and all Defendants so sentenced must be re-sentenced in accordance with the ruling.
Read the various articles pertaining to the ruling: