’51 Years Behind Bars’: Documentary examines Tennessee’s harsh sentences for juveniles
Tenessee Lookout, June 9, 2022: ’51 Years Behind Bars’: Documentary examines Tennessee’s harsh sentences for juveniles
“A documentary premiering this week explores the lengthy sentences handed down to juvenile offenders in Tennessee, which has the longest mandatory prison time for juveniles convicted of murder of any state in the nation.
“Under state law, any individual found guilty of first-degree murder must serve a mandatory 51 years in prison before a chance at release — including minors.
“The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that kids who commit crimes, including murder, must have a meaningful chance at eventual freedom. Other states have since modified their sentencing laws to prevent juveniles from serving mandatory life sentences. But in Tennessee, where 51 years isn’t explicitly a life sentence, the laws have remained unchanged — even as advocates have argued that 51 years is a virtual life sentence.
“The number of people sentenced to life as juveniles in Tennessee has hovered around 200 in recent years.”
Additional reading:
Al Jazeera: Fault Lines
