Should Juveniles Receive Life Without Parole

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Recommended: Do juveniles deserve life sentence

Claim: Juveniles should not receive life sentences without parole.
Argument:
Adolescents, specifically, should not be given the sentence of life without parole. This is on the basis that all juveniles are not aware of the impact of their actions and furthermore, the possible consequences. “Children are not adults” (Ferriss) and therefore should not be dealt a sentence that is equivalent to an adult’s sentence. An adolescent does not possess the mature brain development to comprehend that their actions have a trickling effect. . “The rational part of a teen’s brain isn’t fully developed and won’t be until age 25 or so” (Sather and Shelat). They have an inability to understand that one wrong choice can change the course of their life. …show more content…

The thought process of this belief is if a teen commits an adult crime such as homicide or armed robbery, then an adult sentence should be assigned. As previously stated, adolescents do not have the ability to think through the consequences of their actions and they are strongly influenced by their peers. Their brains are still developing and because of this, “they are also uniquely capable of positive growth and change”(Southerland). Life without parole would inhibit the opportunity for positive growth and change in an adolescent. It is true that adolescents do need to be held accountable for their acts of crime and wrong doing in order to learn from their mistakes, but holding children accountable with a life sentence is not age-appropriate and does not permit rehabilitation. Racial bias has a strong existence in the courts when sentencing youth to life without parole. “Since 1992, an African American youth arrested for homicide has been twice as likely to be sentenced to life without parole as a white youth” (Southerland) Socioeconomics and race have unfairly influenced the sentencing of American youth. Children are children and they need to be granted the mercy that they deserve no matter what their race or socioeconomic status

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