Locked Away for Life

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question to guide discussion: What should a criminal justice system primarily focus on—retribution, deterrence, or rehabilitation? Explain.

2. List Vocabulary
Share with students some of the challenging vocabulary words in this article. Encourage them to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• incarcerated (p. 15)
• mandatory (p. 15)
• inhumane (p. 15)
• irredeemable (p. 16)
• rehabilitate (p. 16)
• intellectually (p. 17)

3. Engage
Have students follow along as you read aloud the Eighth Amendment on page 15 of the magazine. Ask: Is sentencing someone to life in prison for murder a cruel and unusual punishment? What if the person being sentenced is 16 years old?

4. Read 
Have students read the article, marking the text to note key ideas or questions.

5. Discuss
Distribute or project Up Close: Locked Away for Life, a close-reading activity for students to work on in small groups. (Note: The questions on the PDF also appear on the following page of this lesson, with possible responses.) Follow up with a class discussion. If you’re short on time, have each group tackle one or two of the questions. Collect students’ work or have each group report its findings to the class.

• Based on the article, summarize the main arguments put forth by those who favor banning life sentences without parole for youth and those who oppose implementing such bans. (Summarize, point of view) (Those who favor the ban point to research that shows the teenage brain isn’t fully developed. They say this means youth offenders have “diminished culpability.” They also say that young people are likely to grow out of delinquent behavior with intervention. Therefore, these sentences violate the Eighth Amendment. Those who oppose the ban say that dangerous people, regardless of age, need to be separated from the rest of society. They also that say victims and their families deserve more attention.)

• The author says, “In recent years, there’s been a growing trend away from sentencing minors to life without the possibility of parole.” What details does the author include to support this point? (Central idea, key details) (The author includes details about recent Supreme Court rulings that ended the death penalty for juveniles, barred mandatory life sentences without parole, and allowed inmates to appeal their mandatory sentences. The author also gives statistics that show the number of states that ban such sentences has increased in recent years.)

• Why did punishments for youth become harsher in the 1980s and 1990s? Why did authorities begin to rethink their approach in the early 2000s? (Cause and effect, sequence)(Punishments became harsher in the 1980s and 1900s in reaction to an increase in youth crime. Authorities began to rethink their approach in the early 2000s in reaction to research on the brain and youth development.)

• Cedric Rue is appealing his sentence. Which Supreme Court ruling likely inspired his appeal? Why was his appeal denied in state court? Do you agree with that ruling? Support your position with text evidence. (Make inferences, cite text evidence)(His appeal was likely inspired by the Supreme Court’s 2016 ruling that made its 2012 ruling banning mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles retroactive—meaning inmates who had previously been sentenced to mandatory life without parole as juveniles could appeal their sentences. The state court denied his appeal on the grounds that the judge had taken into account his age and other factors before sentencing him. In other words, the state court concluded that Rue would have received the same sentence even if such a sentence had not been mandatory at the time of his trial. Opinions will vary, but students should support their ideas with text evidence.) 

• Which idea presented earlier in the article does the author emphasize with the closing anecdote about Marshan Allen? (Text structure, develop ideas) (With this closing anecdote, the author emphasizes the idea that children and teens can grow out of delinquent behavior with proper intervention.) 

• What does the timeline on pages 16–17 add to the main article? (Integrate sources) (The timeline adds to the information in the section “Teens vs. Adults” about how attitudes and laws related to juvenile offenders have changed over time. The timeline also helps readers visually glean how juvenile offenders might have been treated differently, depending on when they committed their crimes.)

6. Writing Prompt
Write a poem that expresses the idea that life sentences without parole should be banned for juveniles. Then write a poem that expresses the opposite idea.

7. Video
Watch the video, which advocates for abolishing life without parole. What does it add to your understanding?

8. Classroom Debate
Should life sentences without parole be banned for juveniles?

9. Quiz
Use the quiz to assess students’ comprehension.