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The Legality Of Life Without Parole

WUNC News | By Laura Pellicer,

Frank Stasio

Published August 11, 2017 at 12:37 PM EDT

(5/26/17) Johnny Beck Jr. during interview at Franklin Correctional Center in Bunn, N.C. Beck is one of 67 former teen offenders in N.C. serving life without parole, even after U.S. Supreme Court ordered states to reconsider juvenile prison sentencing.

In 2012 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a mandatory life sentence without parole for juvenile offenders is unconstitutional. Last year, the court said the ruling also applies to more than 2,000 inmates who were convicted as teens and are serving life sentences across the country.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with AP reporter Martha Waggoner and AP reporter and videographer Allen Breed about the legality of life without parole for juvenile offenders.

The Associated Pressinvestigatedhow states are handling that ruling and found a wide range of responses. In North Carolina, 67 people who were sentenced to life in prison without parole as teens are currently serving time. Host FrankStasiospeaks with AP reporterMartha Waggonerand AP reporter and videographer Allen Breed.

Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio

Laura Pellicer

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.

See stories by Laura Pellicer

Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

See stories by Frank Stasio