How Do Juveniles Get Life Without Parole

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Approximately 2,500 juveniles get life without parole each year in the U.S. There are pros and cons of kids getting life. The pros are: once someone commits a crime they are more likely to commit another, people have closure knowing the criminal got the punishment they deserved. The cons of sending kids to jail for life are: the severity of the crime might not fit the punishment, the burden on taxpayers; $305 per day and most juveniles spend 135 days in juvenile detention center. Juveniles should be given a second chance. There are many pros of giving juveniles life without parole. Once someone commits a crime the chances of them committing another are very high. According to the National Institute of Justice, “about 68 percent of 405,000 prisoners released in 30 states in 2005 were arrested for a new crime within three years of their release from prison.” This shows that more than half of the criminals will commit another crime. People have closure knowing the criminal got the punishment they deserved. According to Chettiar, “61% of criminals deserve to be in prison.” This quote shows most people have closure since …show more content…

The severity of the crime might not fit the punishment that they deserve.According to Stamm, “2 Million Kids Are Arrested in the U.S. Every Year 95 percent of the children never even committed a violent crime.” This quote shows that most of the juveniles locked up per year are in for a petty crime. The burden on taxpayers; $305 per day and most juveniles spend 135 days in juvenile detention center. According to What Youth Incarceration Costs Taxpayers, “Locking up a juvenile costs states an average of $407.58 per person per day and $148,767 per person per year.” This shows that if a juvenile commits a petty crime that it will not be worth the time to put them in jail. These are just a few reasons why juveniles should not be locked up for life without

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