Carltez Taylor v. Indiana

In light of Petitioner’s character and the nature of the offense, the Supreme Court of Indiana invoked its authority and reduced his sentence of life without the possibility of parole because he did not deserve a “guaranteed death in prison” and his sentence was an inappropriate outlier. That court changed his sentence from life without the possibility of parole to a term of 80 years for a single offense, a sentence that, even with every potential reduction applied, will exceed his life expectancy. Because the Supreme Court of Indiana does not consider such a sentence to be life without the possibility of parole, it held that the protections announced in Miller v. Alabama , 567 U.S. 460 (2012) do not apply, presenting the following question: Whether it is cruel and unusual punishment to sentence a juvenile to a term exceeding their life expectancy for a single offense even when the sentencing court holds that neither the character of the defendant nor the nature of the offense can sustain a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.