“The United States is the only country in the world that permits youth to be sentenced to life without parole,†the Juvenile Law Center notes. “Sentencing children to die in prison is condemned by international law. For children or adults, a sentence of life without parole is cruel, inhumane, and denies the individual’s humanity. For children, the sentence also defies law and research confirming that youth are different than adults and must be treated differently by our legal system.†While many individual states have banned the practice of sentencing juvenile offenders to life without parole, 22 states still permit it, and the conservative majority of the US Supreme Court has shown a troubling openness to overturning past precedents regarding juvenile sentencing. Abd’Allah Wali Lateef, Deputy Director with the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, joins Rattling the Bars to talk about the sordid history behind youth sentencing practices in the US and about the state of the fight to end juvenile life without parole.
Abd’Allah Wali Lateef is Deputy Director of the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. In spite of being condemned to life without possibility of parole at 17 years of age—and without hope or expectation of ever being released from prison—Lateef devoted himself to personal and collective transformation, serving as a mentor, religious advisor, faith leader, and reform advocate. He also studied legal jurisprudence and worked as a paralegal at Paraprofessional Law Clinic, Inc. Lateef was released from prison in the fall of 2017.
Studio: David Hebden, Cameron Granadino
Post-Production: Cameron Granadino
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Contribute…It's helpful.
Why do they deserve more than the victims?
If a youth is old enough to be a predator, or murderer then they are old enough to be sentenced to a life sentence and thats NOT oppression. Thats accountability PERIOD. It doesn't matter if that kid is black, brown. white or purple. There are more black kids behind bars because more black kids commit the crimes and its not because those kids arent valued its because of whats valued in the black culture.
I can remember being a teenager and within that life sometimes we are brought in through other teenagers around us which we sometimes fear and need to follow their ideas otherwise we could be hurt by them .
I myself tried to steer away from those guys and luckily was successful , yet one day an older brother of one of my school friends found me walking past the water works of my city and the brother approached me at nine years of age threw my school cap over the fencing and then him around 18 years of age picked me up and left me hanging upon the water works with my school cap floating in the water The iron bars at the top were designed with bars with spikes as he hooked me up from the back of my school collar and spat into my face , it dribbled down to my lips and I could taste his spit with the taste of tobacco to my mouth as I tried to scream for help.
Some moments later as he left someone saw me stuck upon the railings and helped pull me down with a ripped shirt .
I said thank you and ran home to my Grandparents and told my story.
It came out that they were all as a family creating bad happenings to people within our city .
As life went on the guy that hung me up upon the railings was found and captured for murder and how long he went to jail I don’t now.
I hope that person has Learnt from his time in jail and is a better citizen now.
Thank you! This is a brilliant review of the issues.
It is sickening how many people that are ìnvolved in incarceration that treat some of the kindest people Ive ever met like we are trash. Then you find out they are a real criminal watching over some children. Even if someone is a criminal though people do not lose their humanity, as he said. Even Adult criminals are still human and loved by someone. They are still human. Most people in jail are not in jail for harsh crimes but more making poverty, handicapped, disabled, homeless, and mentally ill who really need help and not a prison. They all need a Social Worker, help with mental illness and we have to accept that some need more help and attention than others. Handicapped people who dont have jobs usually dont have one because 99% of employers want to Lord your job over you, using your job as the threat, we can take this away from you if you dont bend to us we dont bend for you. Those handicapped people often have things they could do to be a value to a company but they company refuses to meet their disabilty requirements. I would like to tear down prisons. Give my black brothers their dignity back and Reperations are way over do. Im a 70's throw away child.Im an ally who has always had the ability and if you asked any of my co-workers friends, they usually began as someone giving me their application. Ive seen what some people do with black mens and especially youth applications, 🗑 I have helped many applications end up in the right pile as I have usually been a 1st Mate to boss. I have noticed as we are now making our enemies actions transparent because of cameras everywhere. I have spent many years incerated as a child through to some of my adulthood. ✊🽠Love to you Family … Always on your side…
Terrance M. Smith
The more bum on seat's… Not to make lite of the facts the reason your polys don't address this is because.. Your prison system has been privatised? The compies running the whole deal get paid by your Gov huge sums for each Victem . it's a disgrace and it ends here with US🧸ðŸ™ðŸ˜…
The Politicans understand there problems they created it 😡 God bless you Guys ðŸ™ðŸ–ï¸
Hi Guys ðŸ–ï¸ The whole prison system world wide is about to be brought to bear… Everyone in jail will have there case reviewed guilt is gult .. Petty trumped up racd based victims will be free,..Then if it applies $ compensation ðŸ™
It's not just juvenile sentencing that is barbaric, racist, and ineffective.
Ty Abdallah
Discouraging , U.S.
core-foundation-sludge policies.
LIKED ðŸ‘ðŸ¼
OHIO CIVIL COMMITMENT 5120/5150 LAWS AND 72hr. PHYSICAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL PINK SLIP LAWS across America are on the rise and put in Psychic/Emergency Room Hospital Prisons! The new depression agenda is weaponized. Please share and be on guard !!!!
They force children to strip naked under the threat of violence at juvenile detention centers here in the USA
As much a political ploy to keep the black or brown vote out of the system
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Its not peaceful resistance if you never even considered violence.
Our complicity is unforgivable.
Storm your local jail, liberate, repeat.
Free Mumia!!!! Read his works and he speaks about kids stolen of youth in prison. Not rehabilitated. Made into harder, spiteful men released. No prospects. No hope. With all the police audits… I still question what really happened on Mumia’s night. I remember Philadelphia and that bastard Frank Rizzo decades ago. Fix our society and yes …. We can blame the system.
Thanks for the work you do
They've tried this.There are no other solutions. Lock up violent offenders.
i had a white friend in texas that got a life sentence at 15 because he was fighting with the adult neighbor and his father stabbed the neighbor.. he did not have a rich famous family so he got the same sentence anyone of any skin tone would have gotten if they were poor like us
stop trying to make everything about race.. stop trying to separate us by skin tone.. stop trying to make criminals victims.. we have a class/income problem not a race problem
The children abused by the system will be the ones that replace it with care, healing, and solidarity.
Do the crime do the time. Color doesn't matter.
This is all from the left. It's just a continuous destruction of our country. Forgive the young adults for violent crimes. ARM UP PEOPLE. THEY'RE COMING TO YOUR HOUSE FOR YOUR ONLY DEFENSE…GUNS.