Community Explainer
Main Takeaways
- In January 2026, Wisconsin lawmakers introduced Assembly Bill (AB) 895/Senate Bill (SB) 882, which focuses on how Wisconsin sentences people who committed serious offenses as children. If enacted, the legislation would end the practice of sentencing juveniles to life without parole (JLWOP) in Wisconsin.
- The bills would create a new category of “youthful offenders” and require courts to take age, maturity, and life circumstances into account when sentencing young people. For individuals currently serving life sentences for offenses committed as children, this would establish a process to ask the court to review their sentence after they have served a significant amount of time.
- Kids Forward supports AB 895/SB 882, as it would reflect growing recognition that children are different from adults and should be treated differently within the justice system.
Every child in Wisconsin deserves the chance to learn, grow, and build a future. Yet many young people—especially youth of color—are more likely to experience policing, court involvement, and incarceration due to longstanding racial and economic inequities.
Wisconsin is one of the few states that still allow children to be sentenced to life in prison with no chance of release. While many other states, including Illinois and Minnesota, have ended this practice, Wisconsin law continues to permit it.
Today, more than 100 people in Wisconsin are serving life sentences for offenses they committed before turning 18. Some were as young as 13 years old at the time. These sentences permanently remove any opportunity for release, even after decades of growth and rehabilitation.
Children Are Fundamentally Different Than Adults
Wisconsin law already recognizes that children are different from adults in many contexts. Individuals under 18 cannot vote, serve in the military, or purchase alcohol or tobacco, and they face additional restrictions related to driving and marriage. Despite these protections, Wisconsin’s criminal legal system allows children to be tried as adults and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Decades of developmental and neurological research show that children and emerging adults differ from fully mature adults in ways that are directly relevant to criminal sentencing. Research demonstrates that adolescent and young adult brains are:
- significantly affected by adverse childhood experiences such as trauma, violence, poverty, and family instability;
- more impulsive and susceptible to peer pressure and environmental influences;
- still developing in areas related to judgment, risk assessment, and long-term planning; and
- particularly responsive to rehabilitation and positive intervention.
These differences do not excuse harmful behavior, but they are critical to understanding culpability, accountability, and the potential for change.
The Supreme Court deemed juvenile life without parole to be cruel and unusual punishment.
In a series of decisions, including Miller v. Alabama (2012) and Montgomery v. Louisiana (2016), the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that children are constitutionally different from adults for sentencing purposes. The Court held that mandatory life without parole sentences for juveniles violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment and emphasized that youth must be sentenced in ways that account for their developmental status and capacity for change.
These rulings underscore the importance of individualized sentencing and meaningful opportunities for release based on demonstrated growth and rehabilitation.
Juvenile life without parole causes deep and lasting harm.
Research consistently shows that incarceration during adolescence is associated with poorer outcomes later in life, including higher rates of physical and mental health challenges. Extended incarceration—particularly sentences exceeding 15 to 20 years—has not been shown to improve public safety and may, in fact, have diminishing returns.
Juvenile life without parole sentences also limit access to developmentally appropriate programming, education, and rehabilitative services. The impacts extend beyond the incarcerated individual, affecting families and communities for generations. Addressing serious harm caused by youth requires approaches that balance accountability with opportunities for rehabilitation and reintegration.
How is JLWOP impacting Wisconsin and its youth?
Over 100 youthful offenders are currently serving life sentences for crimes they committed as children in Wisconsin – several of whom were as young as 13 years old at the time of the offense.
Wisconsin spends approximately $38,644 per incarcerated person each year. For individuals serving life sentences imposed during childhood, this represents millions of dollars annually, often with limited evidence of improved public safety outcomes.
AB 895/SB 882 would help heal people & communities.
Assembly Bill 895 and Senate Bill 882 would:
- create a legal category of “youthful offenders”;
- end Wisconsin’s ability to sentence children to life without parole;
- require courts to consider age, development, and maturity when sentencing; and
- allow individuals serving life sentences for childhood offenses to request sentence review after a set period for most offenses.
How Can You Help?
If you think ending Wisconsin’s practice of sentencing children to life without parole is important, please encourage your networks, members, and supporters to reach out to members of the State Senate and Assembly to express support for addressing JLWOP. You can also contact the bill’s authors or your legislators to highlight why this issue matters to your communities.
