What are the implications of juvenile life without parole sentences?

In Washington State, juvenile offenders can be sentenced to life without possibility of parole (LWOP). This means that the individual convicted of the crime, who is under the age of 18, will be in prison for the rest of their life without the possibility of supervised release. LWOP sentences have major implications for the offender, their family and society as a whole. The main implication of LWOP sentences is that young people will remain in prison for the rest of their lives without any chance of rehabilitation or reform. Since most juvenile crimes are committed by young people who are still in the process of maturing and developing, depriving them of the possibility of rehabilitation denies them the opportunity to become productive members of society. This can lead to a cycle of crime and recidivism as young people are not given the opportunity to break the cycle of criminality. For the families of juvenile offenders sentenced to LWOP, this means living with the knowledge that their loved one will never be released from prison, often for the rest of their life. This can be extremely difficult for families, as they are effectively cut off from the person they care about, and there is no way to bring them back from prison. Lastly, society as a whole is affected by LWOP sentences. This is because those who are sentenced to LWOP are essentially taken out of society and cannot contribute to it in any way, meaning that society is deprived of the contributions they could have made had they been afforded the opportunity to reform. As a result, crime rates can actually increase as young people have no hopes of rehabilitation or release.

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What are the implications of juvenile life without parole sentences?

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