Court decision on life terms for youth misguided

As members of the Huckleberry Youth Programs Board of Directors, we are saddened by the Supreme Court’s recent 6-3 decision to reject limits on life terms for youth.

This decision marks the first time in almost two decades the high court has deviated from rules establishing more leniency for juvenile offenders, even those convicted of murder. The

U.S. is the only nation that sentences people to life without parole for crimes committed before turning 18.

Research shows a child’s brain does not fully develop until age 25. Adolescence is a difficult time for youth, particularly low-income youth of color, who face systemic barriers making these years more challenging.

We also know that the use of life without parole disproportionately affects youth of color. Black youth are sentenced at a rate 10 times greater than White youth. Black youth in California are 22.5 times more likely to receive a life without parole sentence than their White counterparts. We must advocate for legislation to stop life without parole sentencing for youth.

Huckleberry’s Community Assessment and Resource Center (CARC) is a San Francisco program for youth, ages 1117, who are arrested for misdemeanors or certain felonies. With a focus on positive youth development and access to mental health services, CARC helps youth avoid detention and further involvement in the justice system.

Thirty percent of all arrested youth in San Francisco are served by CARC and 72% of those young people are not rearrested within one year of the program. Seventy percent of CARC’s clients are youth of color, 67% are boys.

California is in the process of closing its juvenile detention centers and preparing counties to take on young people convicted of crimes in a way that protects the community while preparing youth for life outside of prison. Huckleberry’s CARC is a model for other jurisdictions to follow.

— Jerry Peters and Jared Polsky, San Rafael