Jones v. Mississippi

The case asked whether the Eighth Amendment requires a judge to make a separate finding that a juvenile is permanently incorrigible before imposing life without parole. The Court said no, so long as the sentence is not mandatory and the sentencer has discretion to impose a lesser punishment.

This affects juveniles convicted of murder who face life without parole and the judges who sentence them. In discretionary sentencing systems, courts may impose that punishment without a separate finding of permanent incorrigibility.

The Supreme Court has finished this case. Lower courts and sentencing judges will apply this rule in future juvenile life-without-parole cases.

The justices considered whether a judge must find that a juvenile is permanently incorrigible before imposing life without parole.

Juveniles facing life without parole are directly affected. Judges in states with discretionary sentencing are affected too.

The Supreme Court's work on this case is over. Lower courts will use the decision in future juvenile sentencing cases.