The Supreme Court has agreed to take up two cases involving individuals who were sentenced to mandatory life term without parole, for murder crimes that were committed when they were fourteen years of age.

The two cases are from Alabama and Arkansas, and San Diego criminal defense lawyers are hoping that the court will place a limit on the kind of sentences young persons are handed for such crimes. There are currently approximately 73 prisoners across the country who have been convicted of similar crimes committed when they were fourteen years of age. All of these were then sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

This is the latest in a flurry of recent activity at the US Supreme Court involving juvenile crimes. Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that that life imprisonment for juveniles, who have committed non-murder crimes when they were below eighteen, was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court had earlier taken another decision banning the death penalty for juveniles.

In the state of California, anyone below the age of eighteen can be charged with juvenile crimes. However, individuals above fourteen years can be tried as adults in certain cases. These people may be tried as adults if they are charged with crimes like murder, rape and robbery with a weapon. Most juvenile crimes that California criminal defense lawyers come across involve DUI, drug crimes, sex crimes and violence.