Today in the United States we still have debates on whether or not a juvenile should spend his or her life in prison. On June 25, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles who commit murder could not receive a life in prison term. This decision was made due to the fact that it violated the Eighth Amendment which bans cruel and unusual punishment. Four justices strongly disagreed and said that a juvenile should always be punished for their heinous crimes with a life sentence, I personally agree with these four justices. The juvenile should face time in prison for his or her crime to a certain extend. The families of the victims deserve peace and closure knowing the person who took the life of their beloved one is facing time behind bars. As a person you should already know that hurting someone is not acceptable. Taking from someone is not okay. If you make a mistake you should be punished for it. Many juveniles do not know the difference between right and wrong, therefore they go on to commit such heinous crimes. Should there not be something that clicks in your mind that tells you maybe something is …show more content…
Jennifer Jenkins the author of “On Punishment and Killers” personally dealt with the issue of her sister being killed by a tennager. She says that this young man was not in any way mentally ill, he in fact was quite intelligent. You see this young man committed the crime he did simply for fun. Like Jenkins says “we in America have to own this particular problem, with weapons so easily available to our youth, and the violence-loving culture in which we raise them”(On Punishment and Teen Killers, paragraph 5), it is a problem we have to fix and putting juveniles in prison for committing such crimes to show others the little tolerance that we as a society have. The families of the victims deserve peace and to know that the person in charge of hurting their loved one will most likely end their life behind
In July 2014, the United States Supreme Court issued that mandatory life-without-parole sentences for minors (seventeen and younger) convicted of homicide is unconstitutional in a five to four vote (2). The Court struck down statutes in twenty-nine states that provide a mandatory life-without-parole sentences for children (2). The lower courts are now instructed to conduct new sentence hearings where judges will have to take into account the individual characters, circumstances, age, and the events surrounding the crime (2). The court did not ban juvenile life without parole in all circumstances
Should a twelve year old like Nathaniel Brazill who killed his teacher when he made him angry be locked up in prison for the rest of his life? I do not agree with the statement that teenagers that commit a murder should get life without parole in prison. I do not agree with this because it is unfair to everybody not just the victim. Obviously if someone commits a murder the rightful thing to do would be to pay for their mistakes, but in most cases like in Nathaniel Brazil’s the victim did not deserve to be murdered, but the murder had no self control either. Everybody should be more considering about people because you never know what they go through at home, it’s not an excuse for what they have done, but to understand why.
On June 25, 2012, the Supreme court ruled that juveniles who committed murder could not be sentenced for to life in prison. Their reasoning was that it violated the 8th Amendment, that stated the ban of cruel and unusual punishment. However, that is not the only reason to have juveniles not be sentenced for life. I agree with the supreme court’s decision because juveniles who commit crime can be coming from an unhealthy background, their brain is not fully developed, and their characters are still in formation. Greg Ousley murdered his parents on February 27, 1993 with a rifle gun that he was found in his house.
What if your loved one was savagely killed by a teenager with no remorse? Juveniles should be convicted as adults for ferocious crimes because even though they are “kids” they kill innocent people and should get punished for the crime they committed. Teenagers commit gruesome crimes like murder and knowing what they are makes the situation far worse. In the article “Kids are Kids-Until They Commit Crimes” the author Jennifer Jenkins talks about the teenagers that committed gory murders against innocent people that didn’t deserve to die like a road animal. For example, a 13 year old shot to death an english teacher.
Crimes are happening around us whether we pay attention to them or not. Those crimes as dangerous as murder are committed by all ages but should younger criminal in their juvenile age received the same punishment as older criminals. On June 25, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles committed murder could not be sentenced to life in prison because it violates the Eighth Amendment.(On-Demand Writing Assignment Juvenile Justice) Advocates on the concurring side believes that mandatory life in prison is wrong and should be abolish. However, the dissenting side believe that keeping the there should be a life in prison punishment for juvenile who commit heinous crime regardless of their age.
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
This was used as a precedent. Any minor that has committed a crime should still have their rights. An adult knows exactly what they are getting into. That is why when it comes to homicide of an adult this precedent does not apply the same way. The court’s decision decided that it is a cruel and unusual punishment that forbids the mandatory sentencing of life in prison without the possibility of parole for juvenile homicide offenders.
When people commit crimes, there should be disciplined no matter what. Juveniles need to learn that their behaviors have consequences. Why should kids be given any less of a punishment for committing the same crime? According to one author, “Taking a life is murder regardless of the age of the offender, and the penalties to be imposed must not discriminate. After all, the victim’s life will never be returned, and the family will permanently lose their loved one” (“7 Top Pros and Cons of Juveniles Being Tried As Adults”).
Many people believe that it is cruel to charge juveniles with life sentences but, many like myself believe that if they committed the crime they should actually go to prison and serve life. People say that it’s not right to do that because we may not know what their situation may be or they probably didn't know what they were doing but, they obviously had a plan they just didn't out of nowhere just go and kill that person. The supreme court ruled in 2012 that juveniles could not be sentenced to life in prison because it violated the eighth amendment. In my opinion, this isn't cruel something that would be cruel, would be giving juveniles the death penalty that is called being cruel. I agree with the four justices, that strongly disagreed, I think it’s right because why should a juvenile that was actually proven to committing be given a second chance to go out into the real world sure they could have changed but, what if they are just saying that to get out.
Juveniles should be tried as adults with life without parole but only in certain cases: depending on their motive or modus operandi, their crime, and criminal background. Motivation Scandalous kids who commit crimes for unreasonable motives should most definitely have life without the possibility of parole. In some cases, they’re just doing what they think is best. Jacob Ind, a 15 year old from Colorado, was beaten and sexually molested by his step father. His mother abused him as well.
Juvenile Justice Essay In the United States, there have been many cases where a juvenile would be found guilty and be tried as an adult. There are other cases where those juveniles are tried as adult forever. I am against charging juveniles as adults when they commit violent crimes, the juveniles lose many educational opportunities and the adult system is far too dangerous for the young juveniles. Juveniles are also young kids but only the fact that they do not get the same amount of education or experience that other teens gain.
Juveniles should be tried as adults due to being aware of their crimes and having an intention to kill, however, brain development and maturity can play a role into the reason why teens kill. With being tried as an adult juveniles should be granted the opportunity of freedom pending on their rehabilitation status and if requirements are not met, convicts will have to complete the remainder of their sentence. People have long argued that juveniles who commit a murder should not be tried as an adult due the juvenile not being aware of their crime. Awareness, as defined by the Webster Dictionary, is “the knowledge and understanding that something is happening or exists”. Having the perception to comprehend the occurrence of an event is not a dumbfounded characteristic.
In our society, crimes are being committed not only by adults but by juveniles as well. By law as soon as a person turns 18 they are considered to be an adult. So what if an adult and a juvenile were to commit the same crime yet were sentenced differently simply based on the fact that one is a child and one is an adult? Juveniles are committing violent crimes just as adults and should be given the equal treatment and sentencing as adults receive. Juveniles aren’t completely ignorant as everyone seems to think.
When children and teens commit a violent crime such as murder, courts convict them as adults. This means that children as young as eight have been tried as adults in court. Eventually, these convicts will be housed in jails with adults. Despite the federal law stating that juvenile and adult inmates must be separated, most states do not comply with these rules. Furthermore, a law that varies throughout the states is the age in which courts send the children to adult or juvenile prisons.
Juveniles Justice Juveniles who are criminals being sentenced to life without parole can be shocking to some people. I believe if a juvenile is able to commit a crime, then they are able to do the time. The article “Startling finds on Teenage Brains” talks about how the brain can be different from the time you are teens to the time you are an adult. After, considering both sides on juvenile justice it is clear that juveniles should face life without parole because they did the crime so they can do the time. Also I believe the juvenile’s age should not influence the sentence and the punishment give.