In this appeal, the New Jersey Supreme Court considered whether a defendant’s youth could serve as an aggravating factor in sentencing. The defendant pled guilty to aggravated manslaughter and conspiracy to commit robbery. At sentencing, the defendant was nineteen years old with no prior criminal history, no juvenile record, and no arrests. The sentencing court applied two aggravating factors — the risk the defendant will commit another offense and the need for deterrence — and two mitigating factors. Concluding that the aggravating factors substantially outweighed the mitigating factors, the court sentenced the defendant accordingly. The Appellate Division affirmed. The New Jersey Supreme Court reversed and held that a defendant’s youth may be considered only as a mitigating factor in sentencing and cannot support an aggravating factor.
