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Friday, October 24, 2003

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday ordered a new sentence for an Indian teen convicted of sexual abuse.

The decision from a three-judge panel said U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon in Montana imposed too harsh a punishment on the 14-year-old, identified as a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. The teen was a victim of sexual abuse and this should have been considered at sentencing, the majority ruled.

The court based its decision on the Federal Juvenile Delinquency Act, which is designed to rehabilitate and not punish juvenile offenders. One judge agreed to resentence but disagreed with the reasoning for it.

The youth had been sentenced to seven years.

Get the Story:
Court berates judge for teen's sentence (AP 10/24)

Get the Decision:
U.S. v. Juvenile (October 23, 2003)

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