For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 7
court's finding of incorrigibility was the testimony
of the Commonwealth's expert, whose testimony
contradicted the scientific bases upon which the
Roper and Miller line of cases were based. His
opinion was therefore deemed incompetent, and
unable to sustain the court's LWOP sentence.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court concluded
that Batts' LWOP sentence was disproportionate
under Miller and Montgomery and therefore in
violation of the Eighth Amendment. The Court
also stated that, while Batts must be held accountable for his senseless acts of violence, on remand
the sentencing court "must provide [Batts] some
meaningful opportunity to obtain release based
on demonstrated maturity and rehabilitation."
The Court adopts a presumption against
JLWOP and a "beyond a reasonable
doubt" standard of proof, but does not
require expert testimony or grant equivalent due process to an adult facing capital
punishment.
Under Miller and Montgomery, a juvenile LWOP
sentence can only be imposed on the "rare juve-
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nile offender whose crime reflects irreparable corruption." It is therefore significant that the United
States Supreme Court has repeatedly declared
that "juvenile offenders cannot with reliability be
classified among the worst offenders," and any
sentence predicated on a finding that a juvenile
is "irreparably corrupt" must therefore be viewed
with suspicion.
On appeal, Batts argued that the U.S. Supreme
Court's position on this issue required the adoption of procedural safeguards to shield against
the constitutionally-impermissible danger that the
brutality or cold-blooded nature of any particular crime would overpower mitigating arguments
based on youth as a matter of course.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed
to adopt a presumption against JLWOP and to
impose a "beyond a reasonable doubt" standard
of proof, but it declined to require expert testimony as a matter of constitutional law. The Court
also denied Batts' request for due process equal to
that of an adult facing capital punishment, including the right to a jury determination and automatic review by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Ballard Spahr is proud to
support the Pennsylvania
Association of Criminal
Defense Lawyers.
Jerry J. Russo, Esq.
jrusso@tuckerlaw.com
Tucker Arensberg, P.C.
2 Lemoyne Drive, Suite 200
Lemoyne, PA 17043
www.tuckerlaw.com
www.ballardspahr.com
Vol. 2, Issue 3 | For The Defense
7
http://www.ballardspahr.com
http://www.tuckerlaw.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017
Table of Contents
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 1
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 2
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - Table of Contents
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 4
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 5
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 6
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 7
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 8
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 9
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 10
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 11
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For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 18
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 19
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 20
For the Defense - Volume 2, Issue 3 - 2017 - 21
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