In just five years—from 2011 to 2016—the number of states that ban death-in-prison sentences for children has more than tripled. In 2011, only five states did not permit children to be sentenced to life without parole. Remarkably, between 2013 and 2016, three states per year have eliminated lifewithout-parole as a sentencing option for children. Seventeen states now ban the sentence.

The report highlights recent legislative reforms, some of the key stakeholders involved, and some of the lives impacted by these reforms.