The United States Supreme Court ruled on May 17, 2010 that it was cruel and unusual punishment (US const. amend. VIII) to sentence a minor to life without possibility of parole for non-criminality. homicide crimes. The case before the justices, Graham v. Florida, was supported by research based on neuropsychology in addition to several psychological disciplines. This unprecedented decision recognizes that offenders, who are still children in the eyes of the law, have a higher degree of rehabilitation than their adult counterparts. The decision is a victory for many, but in Louisiana, where the Napoleonic civil code differs from America's 49 common law states, what opportunity for relief does it give to those sentenced to life as juveniles, whether either for non-homicide or for non-homicide. homicide crimes? It is clear from research that the physiological, emotional, and sociocultural circumstances that children experience during their crucial developmental stages have a direct effect on their psychological functioning. A case currently before the Louisiana Supreme Court allows us to explore the psychological aspect of juvenile delinquency. The defendant, Emerson Simmons, was born in 1977 into a middle-class family with an ambitious father, a stay-at-home mother, and a four-year-old sister. The family had moved up the socioeconomic ladder to upper-class status when the third child was born in 1982. The father was an emotionally and physically absent parent, while the mother consistently took a caring, hands-on approach with the family. Although both parents suffered childhood trauma, Emerson and his siblings were healthy, generally developing children without any signs of medical, psychological, or neurological illness... middle of paper...... Analysis. " National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (2010): 1-193. Web. Najdowski, CJ, Bottoms, BL and Vargas, MC (2009). Jurors' perceptions of juvenile defendants: the influence of intellectual disability, Abuse History and Behavioral Evidence, 27(3), 401-430 doi: 10.1002/bsl.873 Rohner, Ronald P. and Robert A. Veneziano. of History and Contemporary Evidence 5.4". (2001): 382-405. State of Louisiana v. Emerson W. Simmons, October 1998. "The Supreme Court of the United States. limits the use of JLWOP for citizens. Second Chances Issue 6 (2010)..