Do you get scared when you hear the word “death”? The capital sentence is a delicate subject to discuss especially involving juveniles. Nineteen states in the United States allow juvenile delinquents to be sentenced to death. The death penalty should be a punishment for juvenile delinquents who commit capital crimes in all states. By defining the issue of the death penalty as sentencing for juveniles is just punishment for capital offences , by refuting the counterarguments that the death penalty is not humane and/or acceptable and by providing sound arguments and documented research one will be persuaded that the death penalty as punishment for juvenile legal should be legal in all states.“Old enough to kill, old enough to die” (Drizin, …show more content…
Yes, the death penalty may be harsh for juveniles and many debate how the mind does not fully mature until an adult. Even so between the ages of 10 and 20, humans have the ability to decipher between right and wrong (teenink.com). Each juvenile should be held responsible for their actions just like adults are responsible for their own. Legalizing the death penalty in all states in the United States may help decrease the chances of a capital crime being committed. Knowing that one of the consequences that they may face when committing a capital crime is death it may help adolescents think twice of their actions.
When a capital crime is committed, justice must be found or there will be no peace. The state legislature will decide the appropriate punishment for the crime the juvenile has been committed. Since not all states in the United States allows the death penalty, they won’t punish juveniles who have been arrested for the capital crime. Imagine a juvenile killing a dozen of people for no purpose at all, they just did it for fun, they are not sick or mental, and doesn't regret anything. The kid must be punished as how the adults would get punished by the death
Everyone, especially in matters of serious crimes, should get the Justice they deserve. In a juvenile court, the sentences will be less stringent because of someone's age. An example is given on the website https://flowpsychology.com/10-pros-and-cons-of-juveniles-being-tried-as-adults/, “In 2006 a 12-year-old girl killed her entire family for not approving of her boyfriend. She was only given 10 years.” Juvenile courts are not allowed to deliver the death penalty. In a situation where the death penalty would
In August of 2004, Robert Acuna was sentenced to the death penalty. His crime? Shooting his two elderly neighbors, James and Joyce Carroll, "execution style" and then proceeding to steal their car (Liptak). This heinous crime only adds to the current debate: should juveniles be sentenced as adults? The answer is yes, there should be no leniency displayed towards minors who commit the same serious crimes as adults. Although young, juveniles should be capable of understanding the serious extent of the crime they commit. Sentencing juveniles as adults will prevent perpetrators of major crimes, such as mass murder, from walking free. Furthermore, judges have enough experience to know whether to try a minor as an adult or not. Juvenile sentencing as adults is not a wrong but rather a form of justice in the face of rising teen violence.
In Gail Garingers article Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences, she mentions that “79 young adults have been sentenced to die in prison,” this is an alarming number of youths who made a mistake that they will regret. Sending someone to prison without help will not do anything, it is just takes away their future and life. These juveniles will never have a family of their own, will not be able to see their family everyday, and will know nothing about the world that is going on around them. Garinder also brings up the topic of sentencing a youth to prison without parole, “... decide whether children can be sentenced to life without parole...” If an adult can be sentenced with the same crime for life with parole, why would a kid get life without parole? Especially when a child does not have the full brain capacity as an adult. If a kid commits a crime, everyone thinks they are bad, but what about what is happening to them mentally or in their family for them to have acted out? No one thinks about that. Taking a youths life does not help the situation, it would be more logical to get them a psychologist or rehabilitation for the action that they have
The United States was the only country in the United Nations (UN) to oppose the abolition of the life without parole sentence for juveniles. The US was also the only country in the UN known to sentence juveniles to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, that is until the 2012 Supreme Court Ruling that mandatory life without parole sentencing for juveniles was deemed unconstitutional (Agyepong 83). Life without the possibility of parole for minors is a very controversial and sensitive subject, with overall speculation that such a stance violates the Eighth Amendment by virtue of its nature as cruel and unusual punishment for juveniles. To argue for the claim that minors are not culpable for their actions and that the mandatory life
Regardless of age, a killer is a killer. A killer can be the daily customer you have at your job or the child you’re babysitting. “The Supreme Court justices would be wise as well as compassionate to strike a balance: Make juvenile offenders responsible for their actions but don't completely rob them of hope. And this should apply not only to the inmates who were 14 at the time of their crimes but to the remaining 2,497 who were 15 to 18 years old,” (Ellison 19). Kids make mistakes all the time, that doesn’t mean we should take their life away from them. With overlooking the listed factors in court when sentencing a juvenile, this will improve the number of children in prisons. Not all of these children partake in the act because of evil, but merely because of
One of the most controversial issues in the rights of juveniles today is addressed in the question, "Should the death penalty be applied to juveniles"? For nearly a century the juvenile courts have existed to shield the majority of juvenile offenders from the full weight of criminal law and to protect their entitled "special rights and immunities." In the case of kent vs. United states in 1996, Justice Fortas stated some of these "special rights" which include; Protection from publicity, confinement only to twenty-one years of age, no confinement with adults, and protection against the consequences of adult conviction such as the loss of civil rights, the use of adjudication against him
There are many controversial issues in our world today, and each of those issues is well debated by people who either support it or absolutely loathe it. One of those highly debated controversial issues is the juvenile death penalty. Since the Roper v. Simmons case in 2005, sentencing juveniles to death is considered illegal on the grounds that it violates the Eighth Amendment rights (Babcock 6). Although it is considered illegal in the United States, it is still a highly debated problem. There are people that believe the juvenile death penalty is an effective punishment and should not be illegal. On the other hand, many believe that the juvenile death penalty is an extreme punishment and should not be an option when it comes to sentencing juveniles. With such a critical issue, it is only considered fair to understand both sides opinions about the juvenile death penalty.
1. The story of the Exodus is taken place Egypt where Pharaoh had enslaved the Israelites. Moses was able to escape at a young age. Once he is older God tells him to return and save the Israelites. The Pharaoh refused and God sent 10 plagues to the Egyptians. It wasn’t until the last plague which killed the Pharaohs son when he lets Israel leave. This is a different view on God because most religions believe that god is good and in this case he harms a group of people in order to free a different group. This story is very important to Jews because it shows to them that god cares and he showed this by releasing the salves from Egypt. It is the starting point/transformation of the Jewish community.
In the United Sates, the first juvenile death penalty recorded occurred in 1642 of a minor under the age of 18 and the youngest person ever given the death penalty was ten-year old James Arcene in 1885 for robbery and murder (Strater, 1994-1995). By 1994 there were only 9 states, among which were New Jersey, Kansas, and Maryland, that prohibited the death penalties for juveniles. In 2003 the number of states permitting capital punishment declined to 21, a number of them allowing this punishment to those as young as 16 (Steinberg & Scott, 2003). Since the days of the first juvenile execution approximately 362 more juveniles have been
One of the most controversial questions in the juvenile justice system today is, "Should the death penalty be applied to juveniles?”. A lot of people think that the death penalty for juveniles is cruel and unusual punishment and should only be used for adults. The crimes that juveniles commit are as dangerous and as violent as adult crimes. People argue that the adolescent brain does not mature until the late teens or early twenties, and that death penalty should not be the resolution. Some studies show that childhood abuse or neglect can causes the child to commit crimes when they grow to adulthood. Debate about the use of the death penalty for juveniles has grown more intense because of the crimes they are
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Supreme Court ruling Graham v. Florida (2010) banned the use of life without parole for juveniles who committed non-homicide crimes, and Roper v. Simmons (2005) abolished the use of the death penalty for juvenile offenders. They both argued that these sentences violated the 8th Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. While these landmark cases made great strides for the rights of minors passing through the criminal justice system, they are just the first steps in creating a juvenile justice system that takes into consideration the vast differences between adolescents and adults. Using sociological (Butler, 2010) and legal (Harvard Law Review, 2010) documents, this essay will explicate why the next such step to be taken is
Today, we live in a society faced with many problems, including crime and the fear that it creates. In the modern era, juveniles have become a part of society to be feared, not rehabilitated. The basis of the early juvenile justice system was to rehabilitate and create safe havens for wayward youth. This is not the current philosophy, although the U.S. is one of the few remaining countries to execute juveniles. Presently, our nation is under a presidential administration that strongly advocates the death penalty, including the execution of juveniles. The media and supporters of capital punishment warn of the "superpredator," the juvenile with no fear, remorse, or conscience. Opponents of this view encourage
Political laws are set of rules that keep a country or nation together. It was existed for quite a long period of time, including when our ancestors were alive. All political laws were developed by governments, and they believe it was necessary to be passed them down for better human rights. These laws are usually justified for moral dress codes, freedom of speech, and possession of guns, etc. However, during the past years, France has been dealing with a political issue called the French Veil. It is a kind of law that the French governor believe could keep their people from behaving badly. Although France is dealing with a political issue, it has been affecting our society, such as women’s rights, religion, and social life events of people.
The punishment of juvenile criminals, specifically those between the ages of 13 and 18, in the event that they commit crimes of murder, is not severe enough. Minors between these critical ages in the teenage life who commit crimes of murder should be prosecuted as adults in all situations and locations.