Foster Kids Sentenced to Life Without Parole - Evan Miller's Story

The purpose of this series of posts is to show the public some of the most drastic effects of children being placed in foster care as children. I will be featuring youth that committed crimes and were sentenced to life in prison without parole.

A huge percentage of foster care youth have been accused of crimes or have been involved with law enforcement within the first few years after they turned 18 years old (the age at which most children “age out” of foster care.) Many become homeless. One-third of the former foster care children that were tracked in three Midwest states had “high level” of involvement with the criminal justice system.

Aging-Out Stats:
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For eight years, researchers have followed about 600 young adults who aged out of the child welfare systems in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois. The report finds that at age 23 and 24, former foster youth are more likely than their peers to be:
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Unemployed — Less than half were employed.
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Homeless — Almost 25 percent had been homeless since exiting foster care.
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Pregnant — More than 75 percent of young women had been pregnant since leaving foster care.
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Convicted of a crime — Nearly 60 percent of young men had been convicted of a crime, and more than 80 percent had been arrested.
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Uneducated — Only 6 percent had a 2- or 4-year degree.

This Article Striking Back in Anger: Delinquency and Crime in Foster Children determined through their independent studies that foster children who experience multiple movements within the foster care system were more likely to engage in delinquency as compared to children with no movements. The temporary nature of foster care and its uncertainty contributed to a significantly higher outcome of delinquency and crime. Children and adolescents who experienced repeated separations and are constantly subjected to the threat of abandonment are subject to becoming violently angry and dysfunctional.

In Travis Hirschi's theory of Social Bondingfrom his 1969 book “Causes of Delinquency" he focuses on understanding of the causes of juvenile delinquency. Hirschi states that the ‘bond’ resides in the child and involves four factors or systems: Attachment, Commitment, Involvement, and Belief. He states that children lacking adequate levels of attachment are believed to be free from moral restraints and are apt to act on impulse, without a conscience or feeling for others.

A report by Kingsley in 2009 in support of the Hirschi theory concluded that the lack of relationships and attachments is a significant cause of juvenile delinquency.

Evan Miller's Story

Classification: Homicide
Characteristics: Juvenile (14) - Robbery - Arson
Number of victims: 1
Date of murder: July 15, 2003
Date of birth: November 2, 1988
Victim profile: Cole C. Cannon, 52 (his neighbor)
Method of murder: Beating with a baseball bat - Inhalation of products of combustion
Location: Lawrence County, Alabama, USA
Status: Sentenced to life in prison without parole on October 20, 2006

Photo Credit: murderpedia.org

Evan Miller was 14 in 2003 when he beat his neighbor to death with a baseball bat and then set fire to his trailer. Evan threw a sheet over the man’s head and shouted, “I am God, I’ve come to take your life.” Cole Cannon, died from his injuries and smoke inhalation.

Evan attempted suicide four times, the first when he was six. He had been in and out of foster care due to the fact that his stepfather beat him and his mother abused drugs and alcohol. One of Evan's mother’s drug dealers , Cannon, had spent that night smoking pot and playing drinking games with Evan and his friend before they robbed and killed him. A jury convicted Evan of murder and sentenced in 2006 to life without the possibility of parole. His friend was offered a life sentence with the possibility of parole in exchange for his testimony against Evan.

Read More of Evan's Story:

Was Evan Miller ‘The Rare Juvenile’ Who Deserved Life Without Parole?

The Supreme Court of the United States - Miller v. Alabama

Evan Miller Offers Apology As Resentencing Hearing Wraps- By Matt Smith | March 15, 2017

Evan Miller leaves the Lawrence County, Alabama, courthouse after the first day of his resentencing hearing on Monday, March 13, 2017.

MOULTON, Alabama — Evan Miller rose to apologize to the family of his victim “for stealing the joy from your lives” as a three-day resentencing hearing ended today. Miller is seeking a chance at eventual release five years after his case prompted the Supreme Court to strike down automatic life without parole sentences for juveniles.

Long After Landmark Decision, Evan Miller Still Waits for Resentencing -By Matt Smith | March 18, 2016

Candy Cheatham with a photograph of her father as an adult and with one of him as a child which survived the fire that took her father's life.

Minnesota Law Review - Note: Treating Adults Like Children: Re-Sentencing Adult Juvenile Lifers After Miller v. Alabama

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Read - "Life as a Foster Child - Facts and Stories"

Read "My Personal Story of Sexual Abuse in My Family.. Introduction - How Different Would My Life have Been Had We Been Turned Over to CPS??

Read "My Personal Story of Sexual Abuse in My Family - Part 1 - The Nightmares of a Child - The Knife"

Read "My Personal Story of Sexual Abuse in My Family - Part 11 - The Nightmares of a Child - Inside the Kaleidoscope"

Read - My Personal Story of Sexual Abuse in My Family - Part 111 - Under The Tree House

Read - My Personal Story of Sexual Abuse in My Family - Part IV - What Happened to the Abusers?

Read - My Personal Story of Sexual Abuse in My Family -The Conclusion

If you would like to read some of the previous stories of "My Life as a Detention Officer," You will find the links listed on this post by @canadian-coconut:

CPS and Foster Care Abuses: -- INDEX of PUBLISHED STORIES now on the Steemit Blockchain

Please take the time to read, upvote and resteem the above post to show your 100% support for this cause. Also, please visit the blogs of these authors and consider doing the same. Most of these cases are still on-going and any financial support you can give them could make a difference in whether these family units can be saved!

What Is @familyprotection? What Are The Rules? How Do I Donate?

If you are concerned about where these funds are going, please take the time to read this post:

We are Family Protection, Keeping Families Safe, Together

@markwhittam grew up in the care of CPS and then many years later he and his family had to flee their country under threats from the state to take their child because they home schooled.

Linda, @canadian-coconut, started @familyprotection because she has helped several families who have been torn apart at the hands of the legal kidnappers aka. Child Protection Services.

It is up to us as a Community to uncover the truth and spread this truth worldwide!

If you or someone you know have children that are now wards of the state and/or government, we encourage you to share your story. If you are an underage youth caught up in this insane cycle of abuse and control..Please share your story..If you have friends in abusive situations..Please have them share their story. We here at steemit.com have caring people that that are willing to help you in anyway we can.

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