In Louisiana, about 96 out of roughly 300 former juvenile lifers incarcerated at the time of the Montgomery decision have been freed, according to data compiled by the Parole Project and the Louisiana Center for Children's Rights,which represents kids going through the justice system. In another six states, the sentence still exists but no juveniles are serving life without parole. Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia have completely banned the use of life without parole for juveniles offenders - compared to five states in 2012. About 656 people are serving life without parole for crimes they committed as children - down from 2,800 about five years ago - the organization said.ДЄdvocates also point to the sweeping changes that have happened in the near-decade since Miller was decided. Since the court's Montgomery decision, about 800 people who had been sentenced to life without parole as juveniles have been released, according to the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. In 2016, the Supreme Court took up MontgomeryвЂ™s case and made their earlier decision retroactive, giving hundreds of juvenile lifers a shot at freedom. The court found that juveniles are capable of growth and change and, except in the most severe cases, should be given the opportunity to get out of prison. The courtвЂ™s decision was based on the idea that childrenвЂ™s minds and impulse controls are still developing, and they often act recklessly. Alabama, the court ruled that mandatory sentencing of life without parole for juvenile offenders was вЂњcruel and unusualвЂќ punishment. Juvenile offenders, often portrayed as irredeemable вЂњsuper-predators,вЂќ were no exception.Д«ut recent Supreme Court rulings have begun to chip away at these lifetime juvenile sentences as the country has begun to rethink вЂњtough-on-crimeвЂќ approaches. When Montgomery went to prison, and for decades afterward, the вЂњlock-'em-up-and-throw-away-the-keyвЂќ attitude dominated law enforcement and society - especially in Louisiana where the incarceration rate has consistently been the highest in the country. The Santa Experience This Year Is a Mix of Laps, Distancing

Life no parole