People v. Joseph
Dalen Joseph is currently serving a sentence of life in prison (with parole eligibility after 15 years) for felony murder based on an incident that occurred when he was seventeen years old. Mr. Joseph was acquitted of direct liability murder based on a justification defense, but was convicted of felony murder after the trial court ruled that such a defense could not negate a charge of felony murder.
Juvenile Law Center joined an amicus brief with the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, Fair and Just Prosecution, The Gault Center, Youth Represent, six criminal defense providers, four centers on race and the law, and seven criminal and constitutional law scholars in support of Appellant Dalen Joseph. The amicus, authored by the Anti-racism and Community Lawyering Practicum at Boston University School of Law focused on (I) stark racial disparities in the administration of New York’s felony murder law, (II) the manifest injustice that occurred in Mr. Joseph’s case given the unavailability of a justification defense for the felony murder charge; (III) the felony murder doctrine’s dissonance with research on youth brain development; and (IV) the unconstitutional sentence imposed on Mr. Joseph as a result of these factors.