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68 Years Inside.
America's oldest juvenile lifer, 83, who was jailed for murder aged 15 in 1953 for his role in deadly armed robbery is freed after 68 years
The nation's longest-serving juvenile inmate who was sentenced to life in prison has been freed after spending 68 years behind bars during which he refused to apply for parole because he says he never killed anyone. Joseph Ligon, 83, was 15 years old when he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1953 for taking part in a string of robberies and assaults with a group of drunk teens in Philadelphia. Two people died as a result of those crimes, though Ligon told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he didn't kill anyone.In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences imposed on juveniles constituted cruel and unusual punishment and were thus unconstitutional. After the ruling, Pennsylvania was among several states that refused to reduce the life sentences. Four years later, the court ordered states to retroactively reduce the sentences of those who were given life terms for crimes committed with they were juveniles. In the wake of the rulings, the state of Pennsylvania re-sentenced Ligon and more than 500 other 'juvenile lifers' to reduced prison terms that included lifetime parole. In 2017, Ligon was resentenced to 35 years to life. Given the opportunity to apply for parole, however, he refused.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9259621/Americas-oldest-juvenile-lifer-83-jailed-murder-aged-15-freed-68-years.html
The nation's longest-serving juvenile inmate who was sentenced to life in prison has been freed after spending 68 years behind bars during which he refused to apply for parole because he says he never killed anyone. Joseph Ligon, 83, was 15 years old when he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1953 for taking part in a string of robberies and assaults with a group of drunk teens in Philadelphia. Two people died as a result of those crimes, though Ligon told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he didn't kill anyone.In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences imposed on juveniles constituted cruel and unusual punishment and were thus unconstitutional. After the ruling, Pennsylvania was among several states that refused to reduce the life sentences. Four years later, the court ordered states to retroactively reduce the sentences of those who were given life terms for crimes committed with they were juveniles. In the wake of the rulings, the state of Pennsylvania re-sentenced Ligon and more than 500 other 'juvenile lifers' to reduced prison terms that included lifetime parole. In 2017, Ligon was resentenced to 35 years to life. Given the opportunity to apply for parole, however, he refused.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9259621/Americas-oldest-juvenile-lifer-83-jailed-murder-aged-15-freed-68-years.html
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Joseph Ligon, 83, was 15 years old when he was convicted of taking part in a string of robberies and assaults with a group of drunk teens that left two people dead in Philadelphia in 1953. Ligon has maintained that he didn't personally kill anyone in the case that saw him sentenced to life in prison without parole before he was even old enough to drive. Nearly seven decades later on February 11, Ligon stepped out of federal prison a free man. DailyMail.com spoke to two people who are helping Ligon with the transition to post-prison life on Tuesday. Pictured: Ligon after his release (left) and in prison mugshots over the years (right)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9262231/Joseph-Ligon-sentenced-life-prison-15-finally-walks-free-68-years-later.html