Crimes committed when an offender was a juvenile could still land that person a life sentence as an adult. The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Monday that juvenile offenses could be considered under the “three strikes” law, passed in 1995, that requires a life sentence after the third offense of a violent crime — even if some of those offenses were before the age of 18.
The court split 4-2 on the decision, with the dissent stating that the ruling is “at odds with the evolving standards of decency.” The majority opinion, written by Justice Lee Solomon, noted that many states have a similar statute and that it supports New Jersey’s “objective of incapacitating recidivist offenders, who pose a particular danger to society.”
