18 May 2010

Ruling on life sentences by US Supreme Court

3:59 pm on 18 May 2010

The United States Supreme Court has ruled that teenagers cannot be sentenced to life imprisonment with no chance of parole for offences other than murder.

The court says such cases violate a constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Just over 100 people in the US have been jailed for life without parole for lesser offences than murder, committed when they were under 18.

The BBC reports 70% of them are imprisoned in Florida.