Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Brown
Case Details
- Case No.: SJC-11454
- Jurisdiction: Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
Key Topics in the Case
Documents
Prior Decision
On reservation and report by the single justice of the Commonwealth’s G.L.c. 211, § 3 petition, case below No. 09-00963 (Middlesex Superior Court, Kimberly S. Budd, J.)
Massachusetts’s mandatory life without parole sentencing scheme for juveniles convicted of first degree murder is unconstitutional under the United States and Massachusetts Constitutions. Marquise Brown should be sentenced based on the most severe lesser included offense of manslaughter. Mandatory life with parole sentences contravene Miller and Graham.
Author(s)
Marsha L. Levick, Emily C. Keller, Lauren A. Fine, Juvenile Law Center, Philadelphia, PA.
