Recent news

Mark Wahlberg has a major problem stemming from his days as a minor. Now 43, he is asking Massachusetts' Governor Deval Patrick for a pardon for assaults committed as a troubled 16 year-old in Boston. "It would be formal recognition that someone like me can receive official public redemption if he devotes himself to personal improvement and a life of good works," said Wahlberg in an interview.

The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly held that youth are categorically less mature in their decision-making, less culpable, and more capable of change than adults. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals recently affirmed a ruling vacating Cameron’s transfer to adult court, finding the record factually insufficient to justify the decision. The opinion criticized the juvenile court’s order for simply reciting the transfer statute and held that juvenile courts must do the “the heavy lifting” of demonstrating their reasons for transfer if they expect their decisions to be upheld on appeal.

Today, the United States Supreme Court granted review in Toca v. Louisiana, addressing the question of whether Miller v. Alabama applies retroactively to individuals serving mandatory juvenile life without parole sentences.

On December 8, 2014, Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released a joint policy guidance package to inform state and local education and juvenile justice agencies of best practices to improve the quality of education in juvenile justice facilities and remind these agencies of their legal obligations to do so.

Actor and musician Mark Wahlberg recently filed an application with the Massachusetts Board of Pardons asking the state to clear an assault conviction from 1988 when he was 16 years-old. Like many others, Wahlberg’s decades-old offense is causing roadblocks in his professional and personal life. Unfortunately, many youth who enter the justice system are haunted by the poor decisions they made as teenagers.