Yesterday,the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that a previous decision to ban mandatory life sentences for juvenile offenders should be retroactive. The 6-3 ruling means that more than 2000 inmates who beget been sentenced as juveniles to life in prison without the chance of parole might beget their sentences reviewed. Many were sentenced under the "felony murder" rule, meaning they didn't commit the murder themselves but were complicit in some matter. Erik Jensen was 17-years-ancient back in 1998 and was present as his friend committed a murder in Colorado. Under the state "felony murder" rule, and Jensen was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole. Curt Jensen is Erik's father and founder of the Pendulum Foundation, which he and his wife founded back in 2001 to relieve educate the public about the issues of children in adult prisons for life without parole.
He is hopeful the latest Supreme Court decision might give his son, who has spent nearly half of his life behind bars, and a chance at parole. What you'll learn from this segment:How the Supreme Court decision may effect Erik's case.
What the Pendulum Foundation is doing to aid juvenile offenders.
How the Jensen family has coped with their son's sentence.
Source: wnyc.org