FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 23, 2011

Contact:  Allison Conyers
202-289-4671 office
757-870-8749 cell

“Judge Dominick Motto made the right decision today when he transferred Jordan Brown back to Juvenile Court.  Jordan was just 11 years old when the murder that he is accused of was committed, and if he was convicted of the crime in adult court he would have received a mandatory sentence of life without parole.

Unfortunately there have been more than 2,500 young people sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. This is a sentence to die in prison, and the United States alone imposes this irrevocable sentence on youth. Pennsylvania leads the nation in this practice, with more than 450 people serving life without parole for crimes committed when they were under the age of 18.  We applaud Judge Dominick Motto for recognizing the unique characteristics of youth in Jordan, and transferring his case back to the Juvenile Justice system, which is appropriately focused on rehabilitation and reintegration into society.”

Jody Kent Lavy is the Director and National Coordinator of the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, a national coalition working to end the practice of sentencing youth to life without parole.