Jones v. Mississippi Oral Argument

The Supreme Court heard oral argument in Jones v. Mississippi, a case on juvenile life sentences without parole and whether a court must determine that the juvenile cannot be rehabilitated or reformed before imposing such a sentence. In 2004, 15-year old Brett Jones stabbed and killed his grandfather during an altercation. During trial, his legal team argued self-defense, but he was convicted of murder and received a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. The Supreme Court in 2012 ruled that such a sentence violated the Eighth Amendment. Mr. Jones' legal team filed for post-conviction relief, and a new sentencing hearing was ordered. The court ruled against him, and he filed an appeal to the state’s court of appeals. As the case pended, the Supreme Court ruled that the Eight Amendment prohibited life without parole sentences “for all but the rarest of juvenile offenders, those whose crimes reflect permanent incorrigibility.” close