Thirty-four men serving life sentences in Arizona for killings committed when they were juveniles can now argue that they should one day be freed from prison.
The door for new sentences was opened after the U.S. Supreme Court concluded that mandatory life without parole for juvenile homicide offenders is unconstitutional.
In Arizona, prisoners serving life without release aren't guaranteed lesser punishments. They are entitled to a new sentence of life with a chance at release after serving 25 years if they can show their crimes reflected "the transient immaturity of youth." And a natural life sentence can be upheld if a judge determines that an offender's killing reflected "irreparable corruption."
So far, one prisoner has been resentenced.
