State v. Jones

In State v. Comer, the New Jersey Supreme Court held that individuals who received lengthy sentences for homicide offenses committed under the age of 18 are entitled to reconsideration of their sentences after serving 20 years. Sean Jones, Richard Roche, and Timothy Harris, who all received lengthy sentences for offenses committed when they were 18 to 20 years old, filed a Petition for Certification in the New Jersey Supreme Court, arguing that the Comer protections should extend to late adolescents.

Juvenile Law Center joined law firm Lowenstein Sandler and seven other advocacy organizations in filing an amicus letter in support of the Petition for Certification. The letter argued that late adolescents share the same developmental characteristics that provided the basis for the Court’s treatment of youth in Comer, and they are thus entitled to the same constitutional protections.