Davis v. Mississippi

Shawn Davis is serving a life without parole sentence for a murder conviction when he was 16 years old. He is one of 984 young Black men serving a life without parole sentence for a crime committed as a child. 

Juvenile Law Center filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in support of his petition for certiorari. Our brief urged the court to grant review in order to enforce its precedent recognizing the reduced culpability and heightened Eighth Amendment protections for youth, and declare a categorical bar on all life without parole sentences for juveniles. We argued that juvenile life without parole sentences are imposed in racially discriminatory ways that disproportionately punish Black boys.

The court denied Mr. Davis' petition for certiorari.