February 19 Recently, the oldest juvenile offender in the United States was released after serving 68 years of prison. After his release from prison, he was extremely surprised and admired when he saw the skyscraper.
According to The Sun, on February 11, a federal judge ruled that the detention was unconstitutional and Joseph Ligon, 83, was released. After being released from prison, Leagan returned to his hometown of Philadelphia.
Legan said, “I’m admiring all the tall buildings. This is brand new to me. In the past, this did not exist at all.
Currently, some Philadelphia volunteers are helping him adapt to his new life. Eleanor Myers, Senior Advisor to Volunteer Programs, said: “Leagan is extremely pleased and surprised by the changes in Philadelphia since 1953, especially the tall buildings.
The world has changed a lot since Leagan was imprisoned. He talks about the family members who have passed away and they can’t be together again. He misses them very much.
In 1953, Legan was sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in violent robbery, when he was only 15 years old. At that time, Leagan was a member of a group of drunken teenagers who robbed and attacked wildly in Philadelphia, killing two people and stabbing six others.
He admitted to participating in the crime with others, but denied that he killed himself. As the youngest member of the group, he thought he was an outsider and scapegoat of the incident.
In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that life imprisonment for juveniles is cruel and unconventional punishment. After appealing, in 2017, Legan was sentenced to 35 years of life parole.
But Reagan refused to parole, insisting that he be released completely. Since then, he has continued to be detained. During this period, lawyers also continued to defend him. Finally, in November 2020, a federal judge ruled that Legan be released within 90 days.
