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| Locked away forever |
| By washingtonpost.com |
| Published: 11/09/2009 |
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JOE HARRIS Sullivan was 13 when he was accused of raping a 72-year-old Florida woman. Later convicted, Mr. Sullivan was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. This crime cries out for serious punishment, regardless of the age of the offender. But sentencing a boy of 13 to life in prison without a chance at eventual freedom only adds to the grotesque nature of the case. Mr. Sullivan is now 34 and has spent more years in prison than he has in the free world. On Monday, he is scheduled to challenge his sentence before the Supreme Court; he argues that imposition of a mandatory life sentence on a juvenile who has committed a crime that is not a homicide amounts to cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Another Florida man, sentenced to life without parole for crimes he committed as a juvenile, is also scheduled to press his case before the justices. Only 106 prisoners -- 77 of them in Florida -- have been given life without parole for offenses that did not involve a homicide or attempted homicide. Only two people -- including Mr. Sullivan -- have been handed this guaranteed life sentence for a non-homicide committed at age 13. Read More. |
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