BY
BY THE
BY THE US
BY THE US SUPREME COURT AND A CHANGE IN STATE LAW. HERE IS NEWS CLOUDMAN JUSTICE
REPORTER MATT JABLOW.
YOU HAVE TO DO IS ASK AND JEFF
JOHNSON WILL HAPPILY RATTLE OFF
THE THINGS HE'S MOST GRATEFUL
FOR IN HIS WIFE JENNY, THEIR
ONE YEAR OLD TWINS WELL-PAYING
JOB.
I THINK WE'RE DOING ALL RIGHT
FOR OURSELVES AND LAST BUT
CLEARLY NOT LEAST THE FACT THAT
HE IS NO LONGER SERVING A LIFE
SENTENCE FOR MURDER.
I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE IN
PRISON.
IT CERTAINLY SEEMED HE WAS
GOING TO BE SENTENCED TO LIFE
IN PRISON AFTER A JURY
CONVICTED HIM AND HIS 19 YEAR
OLD CODEFENDANT OF CARJACKING
AND KILLING A MAN IN AN AURORA
PARKING GARAGE IN 1994.
JOHNSON WAS JUST 17 AT
THE TIME.
I NEVER LIKE HAD A FELONY OR
ANYTHING BEFORE.
I NEVER GOTTEN INVOLVED IN ALL
THIS KIND OF STUFF.
THE TRANSITION TO PRISON WAS
DIFFICULT.
HE BECAME EXTREMELY DEPRESSED
AND AT TIMES SUICIDAL.
I DIDN'T EVEN REALLY WANT TO
CONTINUE ANYMORE.
BUT A FEW YEARS INTO A SENTENCE
AFTER SOME WISE WORDS FROM HIS
GRANDMOTHER, SHE TOLD ME
EVERYBODY HAS A LIFE SENTENCE.
WE'RE GOING TO DO IT IN
DIFFERENT PLACES.
HE BEGAN TURNING HIS LIFE
AROUND, TEACHING HIMSELF TO
READ, GETTING HIS HIGH SCHOOL
EQUIVALENCY DIPLOMA, BECOMING A
MENTOR TO OTHER INMATES AND
PERSONALLY APOLOGIZING TO HIS
VICTIM'S FAMILY.
I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ENORMOUSLY
HUGE MISTAKE THE WORST MISTAKE
ANYBODY CAN EVER MAKE IN THEIR
LIFE 18 YEARS AFTER JEFF
JOHNSON, SELF-DESCRIBED HUGE
MISTAKE, THE U.S. SUPREME COURT
RULED THAT IT WAS
UNCONSTITUTIONAL TO SENTENCE
JUVENILES TO LIFE IN PRISON
WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY
OF PAROLE EFFECTIVELY REQUIRING
ALL JUVENILE LIFERS TO BE
SENTENCED.
A NEW STATE LAW WAS THEN PASSED
HERE IN COLORADO MAKING
JUVENILE LIFERS ELIGIBLE FOR
PAROLE IN AS LITTLE AS 25 YEARS
.
WHICH IS WHY AFTER JEFF
JOHNSON'S CODEFENDANT FINALLY
ADMITTED TO BEING THE ACTUAL
MURDERER, JOHNSON WAS SENTENCED
TO 30 YEARS AND THE TIME OFF
FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR.
HE WAS RELEASED IN TWENTY
EIGHTEEN A FREE MAN AGAIN AFTER
TWENTY FOUR YEARS BEHIND BARS.
THAT'S A HIGHER POWER.
I MEAN THERE'S NO THERE'S NO
OTHER EXPLANATION.
AT THE TIME OF THE SUPREME
COURT DECISION THERE WERE FORTY
EIGHT PEOPLE CONVICTED AS
JUVENILES IN COLORADO SERVING
LIFE SENTENCES WITHOUT
THE POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE.
ONE DIED IN PRISON WHILE 41
OTHERS ARE STILL IN PRISON.
HAVEING OTHER THAN BE SENTENCED
WERE YET TO BE RESENTENCED.
SIX JUVENILE LIFERS IN COLORADO
INCLUDING JEFF JOHNSON HAVE NOW
BEEN RELEASED.
WE KNOW THAT THE PORTION OF THE
BRAIN THAT SUPPORTS IMPULSE
CONTROL AND JUDGMENT IS NOT
FULLY DEVELOPED UNTIL PEOPLE
ARE ABOUT 25 OR 26 YEARS OLD.
DENVERITE DISTRICT ATTORNEY
BETH MCHENRY SENTENCED 14
JUVENILE LIFERS SO FAR SHE
BELIEVES PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE
OF 18 SHOULD INDEED BE TREATED
DIFFERENTLY THAN ADULTS IN
THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
EVEN WHEN CONVICTED OF THE MOST
SERIOUS CRIMES.
YOUNG PEOPLE JUST DO NOT
EXERCISE THE SAME DEGREE
OF JUDGMENT AND THOUGHT OFTEN
WHEN THEY'RE GOING WHEN THEY'RE
IN A SITUATION.
THE LEGISLATURE WENT OUT OF ITS
WAY TO GO FAR MORE LIBERAL THAN
EVEN THE SUPREME COURT REQUIRE
NOMINEES LEGAL ANALYST AND
FORMER ARAPAHOE COUNTY D.A.
GEORGE BRAUCHLER SAYS NOTHING
SHOULD EXCUSE THE TAKING
OF ANOTHER LIFE, POINTING
SPECIFICALLY TO ALEXANDER
POGOSYAN WHO WAS CONVICTED
OF KILLING FIVE PEOPLE IN
ARAPAHOE COUNTY WHEN HE WAS 17
AND IS SCHEDULED FOR
RESENTENCING NEXT MONTH.
BRAUCHLER SAYS SOME JUVENILE
LIFERS SIMPLY SHOULD NOT BE
ABLE TO REJOIN SOCIETY.
THE LEGISLATURE HAS GONE OUT
OF ITS WAY TO COME UP WITH
PERHAPS ONE OF THE MOST
FORGIVING SENTENCING SCHEMES
FOR JUVENILE MURDERERS IN
AMERICA.
BUT EVEN BRAUCHLER CONCEDES
THERE ARE CERTAIN CASES JEFF
JOHNSON'S IN PARTICULAR THAT
ARGUE FOR OFFERING JUVENILE
LIFERS A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE.
I THINK JEFF JOHNSON IS AN
EXAMPLE OF HOW THE PRISON
SYSTEM ACTUALLY ISN'T A
COMPLETE FAILURE AND CAN HELP
SOMEONE LIKE A JEFF JOHNSON
BECOME COMPLETELY REHABILITATED
AND I THINK HE IS NEEDLESS TO
SAY JEFF JOHNSON AGREES.
MY LIFE IS A MIRACLE.
I THINK EVERYBODY'S LIFE A
MIRACLE SOMETIMES WE JUST DON'T
SIT BACK ENOUGH TO ENJOY IT.
MATT JABLOW NIU'S FOR MORE ON
THE TOPIC OF JUVENILE LIFERS