In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that it is immoral to give juveniles life sentences, even if they commit a crime as serious as murder, because it is a cruel and unusual punishment. This has been an issue in America as teenagers are often treated as adults in court due to a belief that their crimes warrant a harsh punishment. Many believe that these kids should not be given such major sentences because they are still immature and do not have the self control that adults do. I agree that juveniles do not deserve life sentences because they put less thought and planning into these crimes and they often are less malicious than adults. The article “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” explains that the teenagers lose brain tissue that is responsible for self control and impulses (Thompson 7). When an adult commits a murder, he or she is fully aware of the consequences of what they are doing and are willing to go through with it anyway. However, for teenagers, this loss of brain tissue can cause them to not think about the ramifications of the murder. They often make the decision to kill in the heat of the moment rather than plan it out. If they were to look back on their killing, they would probably realize that it was irrational. They should …show more content…
The article “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences” argues that children in prison need to be given a chance to mature and be rehabilitated (Garinger 9). Because these killers likely committed these crimes on impulse, they would often realize after the fact that they were wrong to do such an action. Therefore, when they are released, they will be more careful and think about their actions before committing. If they are given a life sentence, they will never be given this chance to fix their life. Older people who commit murders are less likely to learn from their mistakes since they put more thought into the killing than adolescents
The court case Roper vs Simmons was one of the most influential Supreme Court cases that dealt with the issue of whether or not juveniles should receive the death penalty if they were under the age of 18 at the time they committed the crime. In this case, Simmons and a group of his friends planned to commit a burglary and a murder. On the night of the crime, “Simmons and his two friends entered the home of Shirley Crook. Simmons recognized Crook from a car accident they were involved in before; he “later admitted to the police that “this confirmed his resolve to murder her.” Simmons and his friends tied Crook up and put her into the truck of her car.
In the article, On Punishment and Teen Killers, Jennifer Jenkins feels no remorse toward the teen killer. But Jenkins has worked with teenager her whole life, shouldn’t she feel a little remorse towards the kids. She argues “If brain development were the reason, then teen killers would kill at roughly the same rates all over the world”. But not all teenagers go through the same situations that others do. In addition it’s a generalization to assume that minors would pursue murder due to hardship in their
Rochelle V. Bulagao ESL 102 Gary Sosa December 16, 2014 Yes to Juvenile Parole Juvenile justice has been a controversial issue. People argue and debate regarding whether or not to sentence juveniles to life in prison for murder. Even though the Supreme Court finally declared that juveniles who murdered should not be sentenced to life in prison, because it violated one of the amendments or in other words was unconstitutional, families of the victims could not approve it and continue fighting for the refusal of granting parole to convicted teens. But juveniles are young individual that can get easily pressured by intense situations therefore, I am against of putting juveniles behind bars for life. It is not right to put them
While the crime committed may be atrocious, adolescents should not be sentenced to life in prison without parole; therefore, they should be given a chance to correct themselves through parole. The
Today, courts ruled life without parole for non-homicide crime is unconstitutional. Some states allow experimenting with alternate sentencing options such as a “blended adult” portion of their sentence until they turn 21. Therefore the judge can keep track of the progress that the child had made and make as needed changes to the sentencing. (Sentenced Young) The juvenile court system will forever need adjustments as year’s progress and generation cohorts and crime rates change.
“The back-to-front development of the brain explains why behavior sometimes seems immature, illogical, or impulsive. Teenagers are working with brains that are still under construction ” (Raising Children Network). This way of behavior, leads up to minor crimes that harm the lives of future adults. Studies show that the older a person gets, the more likely they are to grow out of negative actions (Raising Children Network), and by raising the age to 21 adolescents would have more time to develop . We expect young adults to be mature and make the right decision.
The Supreme Court of the United States of America in 2012 ruled that juveniles couldn’t be tried as juveniles and be sentenced to life without the possibility of bail, no matter how harsh the nature of the crime committed. Justice Elena Kagan argues that juveniles who commit crimes typically have a rough upbringing or unfortunate circumstances which cannot be controlled by the juvenile. She argues that if they are serving a life in prison without a chance of parole, it causes damage to them psychologically due to the lack of experiences. They will miss the most important moments in life that define who they are as an individual.
This can cause a teen to perform in reckless activities. Jacob Ind’s case is an example of the lack of impulse control a teenager has. When Ind was 15, he killed his mother and stepfather. After the murder, Ind went to school and told one of his friends about the murder. Ind, after his arrest states that “I didn't really grasp the permanency of their deaths, I definitely didn't understand the gravity of what it means to kill somebody.
In the article it states, “The court said that minors who commit terrible crimes are less responsible than adults: They are less mature, more susceptible to peer pressure, and their personalities are not yet fully formed.” In this quote the author is reasoning against life without parole because they are less mature and not fully developed. Although all crimes deserve proper punishment, juveniles should not receive life without parole because they are still developing and this punishment leaves no room for a second chance
Even children have the capability to act and think the way as an adult would. Juveniles need to be held accountable for their actions because it was their actions that caused for them to be put in such a situation. 13 year old Derek King and his 12 year old brother, Alex, were being charged of bludgeoning their father, Terry King, to death. In the book, “Angels of Death,” by Gary C. King stated, “I hit him once and then I heard him moan and then I was afraid that he might wake up and see us, so I just kept on hitting him... I threw the bat on the bed, lit the bed on fire because I was scared of the [evidence] and everything.
Jessie Townsend May 3rd, 2016 Prof. Allen Wong ASOC283 Why Kids Get Life The documentary “When Kids Get Life” delves into four cases involving juveniles who are serving life without parole in Colorado prisons. All of these juveniles are serving this time due to first degree murder among other charges they have received. The ages of these juveniles at the time of their crimes range from fifteen to seventeen and all of them still currently remain incarcerated. By applying different delinquency theories to each case, there is a chance that one could explain or even rationalize why these juveniles committed the crimes that they did.
Teens in particular, should not be convicted life sentences. This is because the teen may have not known what they were doing. “Children are not adults”(Ferriss) that statement is saying that children should not be sentenced like adults. That is correct because when it comes down to the science a teen does not know right from wrong yet so they should not be sentenced for life. “The rational part of a teen’s brain isn’t fully developed and won’t be until age 25 or so”(Sather and Shelat).
Juveniles in the Justice System Murder is a serious crime and thus deserves a serious penalty. The consequences of their crime can be jail time, or in the most severe cases, death. The question that can arise is this: should a child or teenager be tried as an adult? Are they emotionally mature enough to understand what they have done and deal with the very real, adult ramifications?
But this actually disproves juvenile advocates reliance on the “underdeveloped brain” argument. If brain development were the reason, then teens would kill at roughly the same rates all over the world(Jenkins 91). This is something that doesn’t happens, you won’t be seeing teens around the world murdering people. Brain development is just something people don’t understand how it really works and use this argument to try to lower criminals culpability.
In “On Punishment and Teen Killers”, by Jennifer Jenkins, she reveals how she was a victim of a teen murderer and believes that actual science supporting teenage brains does not negate criminal culpability. She argues, “If brain development were the reason, then teens would kill at roughly the same rates all over the world”, (Par 6). Jenkins believes that supporting evidence on teenage brains does not serve as an excuse to not sentence juveniles to life without parole. She also believes that some teens will never change and find redemption for their actions. Her point is valid in that juveniles cannot be excused for their crimes, however Jenkins lacks the insight that much like how the brain changes through age, a teenager can transition from immaturity to maturity.