Should teenagers convicted of murder be handed mandatory life sentences without parole? Thirty-eight states said yes, until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (5-4) against the constitutionality of the mandatory end of such sentencing laws. The psychologists who advanced the idea that “teenage brains are not fully developed” may or may not be right (history shows that psychological theories come and go), but the ethical argument provides a stronger base for discussion. Should a person who commits an irreversible crime at such a young reckless age (you can’t take back a murder) be given another chance in life?
Director Joshua Rofe’s thought-provoking documentary Lost for Life (out on iTunes) explores four very different cases of teenagers convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole. Sean, in prison the longest, fired shots that killed a gangsta during the Crips-Bloods feud of the early ‘90s. Jacob, who murdered his mother and stepfather, may have been the butt for years of remorseless cruelty from his parents. Brian and Tobey are in another universe altogether. Inspired by Columbine and the Scream movie, they were ostracized nobodies who left behind video messages extolling the efficacy of murder. They chose to kill the girl who rejected Brian—and they blame each other for what happened.
Perhaps there is one happy ending: After 22 years, Sean was paroled after the Supreme Court ruling in 2012. He has his second chance. Do the others deserve it? Rofe spoke to a victims advocacy group that says no to releasing cold-blooded killers just because they were teens when they murdered. At the time of Lost for Life’s production, Jacob, Brian and Tobey were awaiting the decisions by lower courts.
