Children as young as 13, almost all black, are sentenced to life imprisonment for nonhomi-cide off enses. Black defendants are 22 times more likely to receive the death penalty for crimes whose vic-tims are white, rather than black — a type of bias the Supreme Court has declared ‘‘inevitable.’
It's crazy to me that the highest court in our nation just "brushed it off" like it's not a big deal, and like it's not ruining countless lives.
After emancipation, black people, once seen as less than fully human ‘‘slaves,’’ were seen as less than fully human ‘‘criminals.’’
Wow, this sentence literally made my mouth drop. Black people were no longer slaves, but still seen as 'less than' and I'm sure they were told many times, "be grateful you're free."
Matthew was one of 62 Louisiana children sentenced to life imprison-ment without parole for nonhomi-cide off enses.
Not only is Matthew a child, but he also didn't commit a homicide -- yet he was still sentenced for life at the age of 16.