[Clockwise from top left to right] William R. 16 in this photo and 17 at the time of his crime. Patricia L. was 15 in this photo and 16 at the time of her crime. Drachir P. was 16 in this photo and 17 at the time of his crime. Brian C. was 17 in this photo and at the time of his crime. Michael A. was 16 in this photo and 17 at the time of the crime. Saul Paul G. was 16 in this photo and at the time of his crime. All photos © 2008 Private “When I Die…They'll Send Me Home” - Youth Sentenced to Life in Prison without Parole in California Approximately 300 youth #offenders have been sentenced to die in #California’s prisons for crimes committed when they were teenagers, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The United States is the only country in the world where people who were under age 18 at the time of their crime serve sentences of life without parole. Nationally, more than 2,500 youth offenders are serving these sentences. The 28-page report, “When I Die, They’ll Send Me Home: An Update,” draws on six years of research, interviews, and correspondence with correctional officials and #youth offenders serving life without parole. Despite mounting evidence of young people’s ability to change, California persists in sentencing youth to life without parole sentences, Human Rights Watch found. “No one can predict who a teen will be at age 40,” said Elizabeth Calvin, senior #children’s rights advocate at #HumanRights Watch and author of the report. “When California sentences a 16-year-old to die in prison, the state ignores what science, parents, and teachers have long known: young people have tremendous potential to change, grow, and mature.” Read the full reportage: http://bit.ly/wTGv8R Read the Report: http://bit.ly/zlp7fH Source: #HRW