Teen Killers Should Be Sentenced To Life In Prison

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There has been a large controversy debating whether teen killers should be sentenced to life in prison or given a chance to petition for parole. This is a complicated issue, but from what I have read and annotated, juveniles deserve the right to petition for parole depending on the situation, their mindset, and the setting they’ve been raised in. Justice Elena Kagan argues that life without parole for a juvenile overlooks their age and the environment they’ve been hopelessly influenced by. However, Justice Alito disputes that no matter what major crime a juvenile has commited they deserve the right to at least fight to be [released into society.] I agree with Kagan more than I do with Alito and I’ll tell you why. First, when major crimes such as murders, school shootings, or bombings …show more content…

This was the case for writer Jennifer Jenkins sister, as written in her article On Punishment and Teen Killers. Jenkins sister was shot by a teenager in 1990 suburban Chicago, her killer just wanted “to see what it would feel like to shoot someone.” This juvenile refrained from apologizing for his actions; in this situation I believe the court has every right sentence him to life without parole. If he was not caught sooner he would have commited another major crime. Jenkins expounds “But he got a rush out of breaking the law and ultimately started work on his other plan for mass murder at a local bank. Bragging to his friends led to his arrest.” This killer felt no remorse for what he had done and was proud of his actions. People like this should be [set apart from innocent people,] as said by James Q. Wilson, Harvard Professor and Crime Expert. In this situation Justice Alito is in the wrong, why should this juvenile have a right to fight for his innocence if he doesn’t even believe he is himself:

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