Thompson v. Alabama

Thompson v. Alabama (2017) is a Supreme Court case that ruled teenagers cannot be sentenced to life without parole for crimes they committed as minors, unless they had a chance to demonstrate maturity and understanding of their actions. The Court emphasized that young people’s brains are still developing, making them less deserving of harsh, permanent punishments. In this case, the Court found Alabama's laws unconstitutional because they did not give minors the opportunity for individual review before sentencing them to life in prison without parole.