Teen killers in Iowa, Nebraska may argue for parole

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Teen killers in Iowa and Nebraska will get a chance to argue for their freedom following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that it’s unconstitutional for state laws to require juveniles convicted of murder to be sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The Des Moines Register says 38 people in Iowa are serving life for murders they committed as juveniles. The Lincoln Journal Star (http://bit.ly/LyUSid) says 26 inmates are serving life in Nebraska for killings committed when they were under 18.

Iowa attorney Jon Kinnamon represents Jeffrey Ragland, who was 17 when he was convicted of murder. Kinnamon say Ragland, now 44, and others should be given a chance for parole.

Mel Beckman of the Nebraska Criminal Justice Review says it’s an “unfair sentence to not have any hope.”