Life Without Parole

The United States of America is the only country in which juveniles are allowed to be tried as adults with life without parole. As of today, approximately 3000 minors are condemned to life without the circumstance of parole (Stevenson). Children who carry out horrendous crimes should get the deserved punishment. 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.

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. At the same time their family and home environment should not be considered.

Why should teen felons get to spend their jail time in juvenile detention centers for committing the same crimes as adults? In today’s world, teens are increasingly committing violent crimes and being put in juvenile detention centers. Teens need to be tried as adults because it helps to bring justice to families of victims, and it also teaches the teens accountability. Charging teens as adults will also help reduce crime in the United States. Although many people feel that teens should not be given severe punishments because they are immature and innocent, they have not considered the problem teens are creating by committing these crimes.. In reality, if teens are old enough and mature enough to commit violent and vicious crimes, they should

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.

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. I agree that abolishing the mandatory part but not abolishing the whole Juvenile Life Without Parole sentence because I believed that there are cases when a juveniles should get Juvenile Life Without Parole while there are juveniles who should not deserve it. Some deserve it because they non-repentance killers or to be serial killers while other should not deserve it because of the circumstances required them.

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. Elena Kagan thought to believe that juveniles and their cases should be going to court with the consideration of age, immaturity, impetuosity, and behavioral circumstances. Approximately 2,500 juveniles have been charged with life in prison without the possibility of parole as adults before the Supreme Court ruling in 2012.

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. Then the defendants took her to a bridge and threw her off where she drowned. The day following the crime, the police came and arrested Simmons and his friends and charged them with burglary, kidnaping, stealing, and murder in the first degree.” (Roper v Simmons-No. 03–633. Supreme Court of Missouri. 1 Mar. 2005. Print.). The jury found Simmons guilty and sentenced him to

In this case Furman was attempting to burglarize a home in Savannah, Georgia when the person who resided in the home discovered him. Originally Furman said he had turned and fired blindly when he was discovered, but later he changed his story. He later said he tripped and fell in which made him discharge his firearm. Either way the shots hit a target of the homeowner in which killed him and Furman now with conflicting stories was found guilty. Furman was then sentenced to death under the felony murder law.

There are certain instances of juveniles being tried as adults and sometimes ending up getting a life sentence without a chance of parole. I find that pretty harsh because there have been some cases where the juvenile meant no harm, they were either confused or brought along by gang members and they end up being charged along with the gang members for just being with them when a crime goes down. I believe that juveniles do not deserve to be given a life sentence because for one they are still maturing, they can learn from their mistakes and make amends, we still have to combat crimes like intended murder committed by a juvenile with extreme punishments especially if they are well over the age of 16.

Should teenagers be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole? Many believe that teens should spend life in prison based on the severity of their crime. Others argue that LWOP does not rehabilitate, but punishes teens. Looking at the documentary, When Kids Get Life, I believe that teens should not receive life without parole due to the fact that a teen’s brain is not yet fully formed, causing teens to struggle with decision-making and have an impulse control. Teens should be given a second chance to change in society.

Justice Elena Kagan spoke for the majority of the supreme court, “Mandatory life without parole for a juvenile precludes consideration of his chronological age and its hallmark features—among them, immaturity, impetuosity, and failure to appreciate risks and consequences.” This was the ruling of the Supreme Court case on June 25, 2012. Juveniles are no longer allowed to be sentenced a life sentence without parole. The majority is correct, the underdeveloped, adolescent mind is still growing and cannot be compared to an adult’s.

In United States, there are 73 13-14 year old chidren who have been sentenced to life in prision with-out possibility of parole and over 200 juleniles who have been condemned to die in prision. The United States is the part of the world that comdemn children in prison. The sentencing of a 13 or 14 year old to life in prison without parole is a curel punishment but also unconstitutional. Telling a child that they’re only fit to die in prison is cruel and it goes against the 8th amendment. Also, a child brain at that age has not developed yet or mature. So, teenagers will make stupid mistakes at that young age. Instead of giving the teenager life in prision they should be sentence to centain years in prison like 40-50 years maximum years that way they served their time in jail and still can enjoy the rest of their life. Also, children that are sent to adult prison are at great risk for being abused. If adolescdents suffer horric abused when sent to adult prison, then children are five times more likely to be assaulted as well. A child will not be able to protect his or her self

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.

“In the U.S., more than 200,000 youth under age 18 are tried in adult criminal court each year.”(Steinberg 1). Research proves that younger teens make less mature decisions than older teens. Peer pressure and impulsivity both play a huge role in a teenager’s poor judgment. Although teens make poor decisions, they are still old enough to be responsible for their own actions. Juveniles should not be sentenced as adults because the brains of adolescents are not fully developed, they have not reached legal age to adult standards, and they are more willing to change their ways.

Juveniles being waived to the adult criminal justice system has been a widespread issue across the United States. More than half the states allow juveniles the age of 12 and older to be prosecuted as adults, along with 22 states that allow juveniles as young as 7 to be prosecuted as adults (Deitch, 2014). However, the juvenile justice system and the adult criminal justice system, was not designed to work with kids this age, regardless of the crime they committed. The juvenile justice system was created and designed to provide age appropriate interventions due to the fact that the teenage brain is still forming along with their character (Deitch, 2014).