Criminal Justice
After 63 years behind bars, inmate turns down parole offer
A 79-year-old inmate who was sentenced to life in prison at age 15 has turned down a prosecution offer of a reduced sentence that would allow his immediate release on parole.
The inmate, Joseph Ligon, turned down the offer because he wants to be released without probation or parole, Philly.com reports. He has been imprisoned for 63 years for two murders he says he didn’t commit, the Telegraph reports.
Ligon was offered the deal as a result of a U.S. Supreme Court decision banning sentences of life without parole for juveniles. He is thought to be the longest serving juvenile lifer in the world, according to the Telegraph.
