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Ruling on minors’ life sentences has little Kansas impact

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — While many states grapple with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that juveniles can’t automatically be sentenced to life in prison without parole, Kansas prison officials say that it is not an issue in the state.

The Kansas Department of Corrections says none of its inmates is serving life without parole for a crime committed while younger than 18. Such young offenders are barred from receiving that sentence in Kansas.

Five years ago, the Supreme Court barred mandatory life-without-parole sentences for anyone under 18 convicted of murder. Last year, the court made its ruling retroactive, saying the more than 2,000 offenders already serving such sentences must get a chance at resentencing.

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