Florida ‘Juvenile Lifers’ Parole Rules Held Constitutional (1)

The Florida parole system for inmates convicted as juveniles before 2014 and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole is constitutional, the Eleventh Circuit said.

The system isn’t cruel or unusual under the Eighth Amendment because it offers a meaningful opportunity for release and it doesn’t violate due process under the 14th Amendment because the inmates don’t have a “constitutionally cognizable liberty interest” under state or federal law, Judge Kevin C. Newsom said Tuesday for the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

The Florida parole system has four stages. Near the end of an inmates ...