PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley says officials have identified three inmates in the state prison system who are serving mandatory life sentences for murders they committed when they were younger than 18.
A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision says mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juvenile homicide offenders violates the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
The decision's impact on the South Dakota cases is unclear. More than 2,000 people are in U.S. prisons under such a sentence. Some might win immediate release, while others still could be kept locked up for life. Judges also could impose new sentences carrying a specific number of years and a parole review.
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