Death Penalty For Juveniles Essay

The death penalty should not apply to juveniles because young offenders should be given a second chance, it is considered cruel and unusual punishment and many juveniles are still too young to comprehend the consequences of their actions. They don’t think about the decision they make now may have a big impact on their lives ahead of them. Juveniles are offenders who committed their crimes before tuning eighteen. Juveniles tend to live in the present. There have been many court cases with the controversy on whether the death penalty for juveniles is constitutional or not.
Adolescence is an emotionally difficult time where young people often seek unique and varied life experiences. I am sure there will be many people who will say if they are mature enough to commit murder, they are mature enough to suffer the consequences. Studies on development suggest that impulsive behaviors are exacerbated around the time an individual tums sixteen years old, and often continue through age nineteen and sometimes beyond. Death by incarceration, like death by execution, denies juveniles the opportunity to mature and earn forgiveness for their transgressions. The Adolescence is typically punctuated by a "frequency and means of expression of violence and other risky behaviors." Adolescents often fear being socially ostracized for refusing to engage in risky behavior more so than adults. One problem with the large number of studies focusing on attitudes about risk is their failure to address the role of emotion in evaluating cognitive processes. In the end, this tendency to act impulsively impedes an adolescent's ability to weigh the consequences of risky behaviors. In addition, adolescents tend to use available information less effectively, and e...

... middle of paper ...

...y can be normal. (Baetz-Stangel, C.)
Of the 40 death penalty jurisdictions in the United States, 21 jurisdictions have expressly chosen a minimum age of 18, 5 jurisdictions have chosen an age 17 minimum, and the other 14 death penalty jurisdictions use age 16 as the minimum age. However, several more states are considering raising their minimum age for the death penalty to age 18. The Supreme Court has held that executing 16- and 17-year-old offenders does not violate the Constitution. The Court has not openly and fervently endorsed the death penalty for juvenile offenders. The juvenile death penalty rate is declining, but it needs to be abolished. Adolescents who commit murder should suffer consequences since they are old enough to know right from wrong. Most, however, are unable to understand the total repercussions of their acts on themselves or their victims.