When a child goes to prison for murder
A growing body of research shows that juvenile offenders are immature and impulsive. But in spite of landmark Supreme Court rulings, many so-called juvenile lifers are growing old behind bars.
(CN) — Janice Buttrum got married at just 15.
Her groom was Danny Buttrum, a 26-year-old divorced dad with several prior convictions and a reputation as a violent drunk. He beat her on multiple occasions, court records would later show.
In 1980, when Janice Buttrum was 17, she joined her husband in a violent murder.
It happened at a motel in rural North Georgia. The victim was a young woman whom Danny Buttrum had assaulted. While accounts of the chaotic crime scene vary, Janice Buttrum admitted to stabbing her at least once. Initially sentenced to die, her sentence was commuted to life with the possibility of parole in 2017 amid watershed court rulings on juvenile offenders and a growing scientific understanding of how young brains work.
Fast forward more than 40 years, and Janice Buttrum is still in prison.
With greyed hair, blurred vision and labored breathing, the 62-year-old can no longer move around without the assistance of a walker. Although eligible for parole, she fears her cell may soon become her grave.
In March, Buttrum sued Georgia’s parole board. She argues board members are violating the due process and civil rights of juvenile lifers by not giving them meaningful opportunities to show they’ve matured since their crimes.
The parole eligibility of inmates like Buttrum has become “label-only,” said Mark Loudon-Brown, an attorney from the Southern Center for Human Rights who has represented Buttrum through the parole process.
“It's hard not just on her, but hard on other people,” he said. “People who deserve parole all over the state are getting these arbitrary denials.”
Buttrum is far from alone. Across the country, around 8,600 defendants are still serving decadeslong or even life sentences for crimes they committed as children. Advocates argue that’s not just wrong but a direct affront to Supreme Court rulings.
