Roper v. Simmons: The Juvenile Death Penalty

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Over the past 400 years over 360 juveniles have been executed for the particularly heinous crimes they committed. The death penalty in juvenile cases had developed greatly in the past 400 years, starting with Thomas Granger execution in 1642 and progressing to the Roper v. Simmons trail in 2005 where juvenile execution was outlawed in the United States.
“Death penalty” and “capital punishment” have the same meaning. They mean the punishment of execution administered to a person or juvenile legally convicted of a capital crime. Capital crimes are any crimes severe enough to be punishable by death. This brings up the point that not all crimes are punishable by death. Crimes that are punishable by death are crimes such as first degree murder and particularly heinous violent crimes against people. First degree murder is the killing of another person that is deliberate and premeditated. Heinous crimes are crimes that shock the general public’s consensus. The death penalty as a punishment can only be decided by a judge after the defendant has been proven guilty in a jury trial. Once a person is sentenced to death they are sent to a prison where death row is. From there they have one appeal. The appeal must pass through four stages of appeals. Automatic appeal, state Habeas Corpus petition, federal Habeas Corpus petition, and clemency. A Habeas Corpus petition is a writ that challenges the legality of a sentence or punishment. An automatic appeal is an appeal given to anyone sentenced to death. An automatic appeal is made to the state’s highest court. In this appeal, the prosecutor and defense supply oral arguments to a panel of judges. The judges decide whether to affirm the conviction and sentence, reverse the conviction, or reverse ...

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...s was a federal case and a federal ruling which means that this new law outlawing the execution of anyone under the age of eighteen at the time of the crime extended its reach over the entire United States. This also overruled all state laws allowing juvenile executions. The Roper v. Simmons ruling overturned the decision from Stanford v. Kentucky which allowed the death penalty for juvenile offenders over the age of sixteen.

Works Cited
"Bible Gateway." Bible Gateway. Public Domain, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
"Death Penalty Appeals Process | Capital Punishment in Context." Death Penalty Appeals Process | Capital Punishment in Context. Capital Punishment in Context, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
Hale, Robert L. A Review of Juvenile Executions in America. Vol. 3. Wales: Edwin Mellen, 1997. Print.
"ROPER V. SIMMONS." ROPER V. SIMMONS. N.p., 13 Oct. 2004. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.

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