Introduction In the United States, each year, there are numerous juvenile delinquents who are given mandatory life prison sentences. This paper will explain how a troubled boy at the age of 15 winds up being convicted, receiving one of the harshest punishments in the United States, and what actions may prevent future occurrence of this event happening to the lives of other delinquent youth. Discussion In a recent news story reported by Hanson (2013), Travion Blount was convicted and sentenced to six life terms. He did not commit homicide, rape, or any sort of sexual assault. He was convicted of 51 felony charges which included the illegal use of a firearm, robbery, and abduction. Blount’s advocates argue his six life sentences for an armed robbery violates the constitutional ban against cruel and unusual punishment. How, may you ask, did a 15 year old wind up with such an atrocious sentence? Here is a summary of what happened. Hanson (2013) narrates that on Sept. 23, 2006, Travion Blount, Morris Downing and David Nichols, members of the Crips gang, drove to a house near a Norfolk Navy base neighborhood in Virginia, where they believed a dealer lived with a few roommates. They pulled guns, stole money and some pot. Police caught all three within a week. Nichols and Downing, both 18 and legally adults, pleaded guilty and received 10 and 13 years. They were required to testify against Blount to receive fewer years in prison. Blount, who pleaded not guilty was convicted and punished with six life terms. Blount has been described from his childhood as being shy and introverted. He skipped school frequently. His parents were divorced, both had jobs, and spend little time with Blount. Blount met Downing who taught him the gang life-sty... ... middle of paper ... ...proper guidance and support from such social groups as school and family, juvenile delinquency can come down, and problem youth could lead successful and meaningful lives. Works Cited Bartollas, Clemens and Miller, Stuart J. (2014). Juvenile justice in america (7 ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, 58-60. Booth, J., Farrell, A., & Varano, S. (2008). Social control, serious delinquency, and risky behavior: A gendered analysis. Crime & Delinquency, 54(3), 423-456. Church, W. T., Wharton, T., & Taylor, J. K. (2008). An examination of differential association and social control theory: Family systems and delinquency. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 7(1), 3-15. Hanson, L. (2013, November 4). Life times six. The Virginia Pilot, pp. 1-6. Hinton, W., Sheperis, C., & Sims, P. (2000). Family based approaches to juvenile delinquency. The Family Journal, 11(2), 167-173.
Jenkins Jennifer “On Punishment and Teen Killers.” Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, 2 August 2011. 7 May 2014.
Heinous crimes are considered brutal and common among adults who commit these crimes, but among children with a young age, it is something that is now being counted for an adult trial and punishable with life sentencing. Although some people agree with this decision being made by judges, It is my foremost belief that juveniles don’t deserve to be given life sentencing without being given a chance at rehabilitation. If this goes on there’s no point in even having a juvenile system if children are not being rehabilitated and just being sent off to prison for the rest of their lives and having no chance getting an education or future. Gail Garinger’s article “ juveniles Don’t deserve Life sentence”, written March 14, 2012 and published by New york Times, mentions that “ Nationwide, 79 adolescents have been sentenced to die in prison-a sentence not imposed on children anywhere else in the world. These children were told that they could never change and that no one cared what became of them. They were denied access to education and rehabilitation programs and left without help or hope”. I myself know what it’s like to be in a situation like that, and i also know that people are capable of changing even children when they are young and still growing.
Wiatrowski, M.D., Griswold, D.B., & Roberts, M.K. (1981). Social control theory and delinquency. American Sociological Review, 46(5), 525-541.
Supreme Court ruling Graham v. Florida (2010) banned the use of life without parole for juveniles who committed non-homicide crimes, and Roper v. Simmons (2005) abolished the use of the death penalty for juvenile offenders. They both argued that these sentences violated the 8th Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. While these landmark cases made great strides for the rights of minors passing through the criminal justice system, they are just the first steps in creating a juvenile justice system that takes into consideration the vast differences between adolescents and adults. Using sociological (Butler, 2010) and legal (Harvard Law Review, 2010) documents, this essay will explicate why the next such step to be taken is entirely eliminating the use of the life without parole sentence for juveniles, regardless of the nature of the crime being charged.
Thompson, W, & Bynum, J. (1991). Juvenile delinquency. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
There are millions of adults in federal prison, but The United States is the only country in the world that condemns children to die in prison (Pequeneza, 2014). It’s sad to think about children being sentenced to life in prison, and frankly it is a disturbing and a scary fact to face. However, in recent years the U.S Supreme Court has made it illegal to charge juveniles with life sentencing for anything less than murder (Pequeneza, 2014). This new law gives children a second chance at life when they are finally released from prison. Many children are forced to be in a household that is not suitable for a developing child. Children are mistreated, neglected, abused, and other factors. These unfit situations that children are in make them more likely to become violent, and maybe end up in juvenile
This paper will discuss the history of the juvenile justice system and how it has come to be what it is today. When a juvenile offender commits a crime and is sentenced to jail or reform school, the offender goes to a separate jail or reforming place than an adult. It hasn’t always been this way. Until the early 1800’s juveniles were tried just like everyone else. Today, that is not the case. This paper will explain the reforms that have taken place within the criminal justice system that developed the juvenile justice system.
Krisberg, Barry and James F. Austin. Reinventing Juvenile Justice. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc., 1993.
Before recent amendments to the law the US had been one of the only countries in the world that allowed juveniles to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Only eight states in the US did not allow life in prison without parole for juveniles. They were Colorado, Kentucky, Alaska, Kansas, New Mexico, West Virginia, Maine, New York and the District of Columbia. Many of these juveniles had committed first time offences. There is also many more African American youth sentenced for life than there are white. Studies show that a sentence of life without parole for a minor is 10 times more likely for a youth of color than a white one (Arthur and Armstrong). In 2005 as a result of Roper v. Simmons the Supreme Court established that it was illegal to use the death penalty on anyone that had committed a crime under the age of 18. Later, in 2010 after the ruling of Graham v. Florida the US Supreme court ruled that sentencing a minor to life in prison without parole for cases other than murder was illegal. They decided this because of the argument that life in prison for a minor violated the 8th amendment, which states that “excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted” because life in jail for a minor can be seen as cruel and unusual punishment (U.S. Const. Amdt. 8). The rest of this paper will explore the progression of this issue over the next few years. It will discuss the case of Miller v. Alabama which questioned if life without parole for a minor that had been convicted of murder was constitutional, and the implications of this case. Also it will exp...
The United States has been affected by a number of crimes committed by juveniles. The juvenile crime rate has been increasing in recent years. Everyday more juveniles commit crimes for various reasons. They act as adults when they are not officially adults. There is a discussion about how juveniles should be punished if they commit heinous crimes. While many argue that juveniles who commit serious crimes, such as murder, should be treated as adults, the fact is, juveniles under the age of eighteen, are not adults, and should not be treated as such.
When a young person commits a violent crime, resulting in a death of an innocent person, how many lives should be lost? This is the question at the center of the debate regarding juvenile justice. By examining both sides of the issue, one can more easily understand the complexity of the problem. After considering arguments for and against harsh treatment of juvenile offenders, it is clear that there are no winners when young people are involved in crime.
Agnew, R. (1985). Social Control Theory and Delinquency: A Longitudinal Test. Criminology Volume 23 , 47-59.
Families serve as one of the strongest socializing forces in a person's life. They help teach children to control unacceptable behavior, to delay gratification, and to respect the rights of others. Conversely, families can also teach children aggressive, antisocial, and violent behavior. In adults' lives, family responsibilities may provide an important stabilizing force. Given these possibilities, family life may directly contribute to the development of delinquent and criminal tendencies. Parental conflict and child abuse correlate with delinquency. Though not all children who grow up in conflictive or violent homes become delinquent, however, being exposed to conflict and violence appears to increase the risk of delinquency. At this point, researchers have not pin pointed what factors exactly push some at-risk youth into delinquency. A child with criminal parents faces a greater likelihood of becoming a delinquent than children with law-abiding parents. However, the influence appears not to be directly related to criminality but possibly to poor supervision.
From Theory to Practice: Delinquency Prevention; Alternatives to the Juvenile Justice System; Improving the Juvenile Justice System. (1982). Department of Justice, Washington, DC. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Bridges, K. M. Banham . "Factors Contributing to Juvenile Delinquency." Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 17.4 (1927): 531-76. scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.