Episode 44: Juvenile Life Without Parole and the Case of Adnan Syed

In September, after spending 23 years of his life behind bars, Adnan Syed walked free. His case was popularized by the podcast Serial in 2014. At the age of 18, 17 at the time of the crime, Syed was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee and sentenced to life in prison. The case has brought to light many issues with the justice system, including deficient counsel and Brady violations. For this episode, we will focus on his sentence and the larger issue of juvenile sentencing.We are joined by Professor Lauren Bartlett who is the director of the law school’s Human Rights at Home Litigation Clinic. Also featured is one of Professor Bartlett's juvenile life without parole clients, Ike Crawford.  With the help of the Human Rights at Home Litigation Clinic, Ike was released on parole in February 2021 after being incarcerated for more than 29 years. Ike was sentenced to life without parole for a crime committed when he was just 17 years old.