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Punishment for juvenile crime
Youth crime introduction
Nature of youth crime
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“Prison is no place for anybody to start off at. This is where everybody ends up and they end up being a loser in life. This is where the ball game begins and only the tough survive” (“Prison”). There are approximately 2,500 prisoners serving life without parole sentences for homicide committed when they were under the age 18. More than 2,000 of them received that sentence as a result of a mandatory sentencing scheme (“US”). State laws call for a mandatory sentence of life without parole for those convicted of a felony murder. However, the Supreme Court ruled in June 2012 that mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles is unconstitutional. To sentence a minor to life in prison is unjust because people under the age of eighteen do not fully comprehend the consequences of their actions, exposure to violence as a child influences their actions, and they are not legal adults and should not be held liable for adult consequences.
"The teenage brain is like a car with a good accelerator but a weak brake. With powerful impulses under poor control, the likely result is a crash.” (Ritter). An adolescent does not have complete power over their impulses, unlike fully developed adults. “The frontal lobe includes the prefrontal cortex, which controls executive functions like planning, decision-making, the expression of emotion, and impulse control. The prefrontal cortex may not be completely developed until a person is in his or her mid-twenties. This explains why adolescents have less impulse control than adults, are less able to think through the long-term consequences of their decisions, and are more susceptible to peer pressure. Does it make sense, then, to punish a youth in the same way we punish adults?” (Harris). The brain w...
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...ke the biggest difference. Children and young adults deserve a second chance and deserve to live their lives to the fullest, not behind bars for the rest of their time.
Works Cited
Carrizales, Alison. Schultz. “Miller v. Alabama (10-9646).” Law.cornell.edu. Web. 19 Dec. 2013
Harris, Michael. “California law Gives Youth Sentenced to Life Without Parole Another Chance.” Youthlaw.org. Web. 16 Dec. 2013
“Prison Quotes” Prisonoffenders.com. Web. 11 Dec. 2013
Ritter, Malcolm. “Experts Link Teen Brains’ Immaturity, Juvenile Crime.” Usatoday. Associated Press, 2 Dec. 2007. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.
Savage, David G. "Supreme Court Rules Mandatory Juvenile Life Without Parole Cruel and Unusual". The Los Angeles Times, 25 June. 2012. Web 21 Dec. 2013
U.S. Constitution. Amend. VIII
“US Supreme Court Bans Mandatory Life Without Parole for Youth.” YouthLaw.org. Web. 5 Dec. 2013
“You are hereby sentenced to life without the possibility of parole”. These are the words that a juvenile in America is likely to hear. Collectively, as a nation, the United States has incarcerated more juveniles with life sentences than any other nation. With this fact the arguments arise that juveniles should not be punished the same was as an adult would be but, is that really how the justice system should work? To allow a juvenile who recently robbed a store only get a slap on the wrist? Not comprehending that there are consequences for their actions and how what they have done affects the victims.
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.
Everyone deserves a second chance; no one is perfect in this world.Certainly teens who may now be adults have come to realization that what they did was morally wrong but they have to be given the possibility to redeem themselves.To demonstrate that the heinous crime they committed does not necessarily make or mark them as harsh and insensitive human-beings.Occasionally the circumstances are what cause juveniles to behave a certain way.Moreover, it 's important to take in consideration that kids are considerably more impulsive and emotionally volatile than adults.Their brains don 't function and aren 't fully developed the way an adults brain is, their actually more reactive to stress.If you have no faults of your own;which is quite unlikely
The sentencing of underage criminals has remained a logistical and moral issue in the world for a very long time. The issue is brought to our perspective in the documentary Making a Murderer and the audio podcast Serial. When trying to overcome this issue, we ask ourselves, “When should juveniles receive life sentences?” or “Should young inmates be housed with adults?” or “Was the Supreme Court right to make it illegal to sentence a minor to death?”. There are multiple answers to these questions, and it’s necessary to either take a moral or logical approach to the problem.
In the precedent setting case Graham v. Florida the Supreme Court ruled that a sentence of life without punishment for non-homicidal juvenile offenders is a
Butler, Frank (2010) ‘Extinguishing All Hope: Life-Without-Parole for Juveniles’, Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 49: 4, 273-292
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
References Glick, B. (1998) No Time to Play: Youthful Offenders in Adult Correctional Systems. American Correctional Association Wilkerson, I (1996) “Death Sentence at Sixteen Rekindles Debate on Justice for Juveniles.” New York Times, November Butts, J.A. and Snyder, H. (1997) “The Youngest Delinquents: Offenders Under the Age of 15,” Juvenile Justice Bulletin (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice) Lefevre, P.S., “Professor Grapples with Execution of Juveniles.” National Catholic Reporter Snyder, A. “Serious and Violent Juvenile Offenders” (1997) National Center for Juvenile Justice
Not every teenager portrays reckless behavior, but majority of teenagers are defined that way by society. In the United States, juveniles were involved in at least 680 murders, in the year 2011 alone (Statistical Briefing Book). Nationwide 2,600 inmates serve the sentence of life-without-parole for crimes they committed as juveniles. In the state of Pennsylvania alone, 450 inmates serve this sentence, which also appears to be the most in any U.S. state (Juvenile Law Center)
Juveniles are not mature enough or developed psychologically, and, therefore, do not consider the consequences of their actions. In the article, “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” by Thompson,
There are numerous reasons that juveniles shouldn’t be to sentenced life imprisonment without parole. One reason is that juveniles are not mature enough to make rational and intelligent decisions. Therefore, it would be unfair to sentence them to life imprisonment because of a bad decision they made as youngsters. “Research on adolescent brain development confirms the common sense understanding that children are different from adults in ways that are critical to identifying age appropriate criminal sentences” (“Juvenile Life Without Parole: An Overview”). Another reason that juveniles shouldn’t be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole is that their childhood could have influenced their decision. This could have caused or even forced
Should juveniles be trial as an adult after committing a heinous crime and sentenced to life? As a teenager, this question if far complicated to answer due that I am a teenager yet in my opinion, I believe that the juvenile should not be sentenced to life. I believe that there 's other way to punish them for their crimes. The last execution was in 2006 in California. On June 2012, the supreme court of justice ruled that juveniles cannot be sentenced to life in prison. On July 2014, in California the death penalty was removed. The 8th amendment banned the use of cruel or punishments. The reason why this rule have been imposed or banned was because many believed that they deserve a second chance. There are many reasons why juveniles commit crimes such as murder.
Medical research indicates that the part of the brain that controls impulsiveness in adolescents is not fully developed until the early twenties, thus juveniles are desensitizing to dangerous behavior. It’s unfortunate that most juveniles who commit violent crimes are prone to self-destruction.
In 2012 the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles who commit murder could not be sentenced to life in prison because it violated Amendment number eight which states that Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. I agree with what the Supreme Court was ruling because adolescents who commit crimes should not have to serve the rest of their lives in prison and there life was just beginning. It is understandable to punish them, but not give them a life sentence.
... best way to settle this problem is to treat young criminals as they deserve to be treated; like adults. Teens need to be held accountable for their actions. If they commit an adult crime, it is necessary for them to receive the adult punishment.