“Lost for Life”, by Joshua Rofe (76 minutes), now available
on Netflix, interviews several adult men now in prison for life for murders
they committed as teenagers.
The film concludes by reporting the Supreme Court decision
in June 2012 that mandatory life-without-parole sentences for persons under 18
were “cruel and unusual punishment”, but that it would be permissible to impose
them case-by-case. The cases were Miller
v. Alabama and Jackson v. Hobbs, as reported in the National Center for Youth
Law here.
The film opened with the interview of Brian Lee Draper (wiki
for Cassie Jo Stoddart case ) in Idaho. He and a companion (Torey
Michael Adamcik) seem to have been motivated by Columbine, and by a series of
horror films called “Scream”. Draper
stammered and was already balding at age 21, as he appeared in prison.
The film would interview Jacob, who had killed his parents
in Woodland Park, CO, and an African American serving life for a gang crime; he
had converted to Islam in prison.
One prisoner said that the system makes anything he does in
prison “immaterial”. Society does not
consider his life valuable or worthy of attention, given the need for
retribution. The film also pointe out
that the teen brain is not fully grown biologically, in the ability to “see
around corners” as Dr. Phil puts it.
There is a site for a National Organization for Victims of
Juvenile Murderers (NOVJM).
The documentary seemed to focus on crimes that had been
premeditated. It did not go into the
possibility of compulsive or impulsive acts, which would also be irrevocable.
The official site (Snag Films) poses the question “Could you
forgive?”
The film did not cover rampage thrillers; on Feb. 2, 2013 I reviewed the PBS Nova “Mind
of a Rampage Killer” (with Miles O’Brien) on my TV blog. The film also did not go into any wrongful
convictions.
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