The Importance Of Life Sentences In Prisons

On June 25, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles should not be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole because it is against the English Amendment’s ban on unusual punishment. Justice Elena Kagan noted in the way that juveniles should be sentenced to life in prison. But four justices, including justice Alito disagreed with Kagan, and argued that juveniles must be gotten a chance to release to society. So, I agree with justice Alito because I think juveniles do not have fully-thought to do something, they cannot be the same as adults. They will become better, to make decisions and think through their actions when they get older. Therefore, we should give them a chance so, they can prove themselves that they can

In conclusion I feel that by not trying juveniles as adults it is a better outcome for the child and society. We are also giving the juvenile a second chance at the future that everyone

Research studies have been conducted to demonstrate that adolescent brains are without full adult potential thus, adolescents should not be charged with adult sentences for crimes committed under the age of 18. Several doctors note that the under development of the brain, though it does not excuse criminal behavior, should not result in a life sentence or any other irreversible or extreme punishment (Beckman, 2004, p. 1). Beckman (2004) also states that “eight medical and mental health organizations, including the American Medical Association cite a sheaf of developmental

and why they should not be tried as adults in the justice system. It also shows the actual differences in the brain of a juvenile and the brain of an adult. In an article in the New York Times called, “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences” Gail Garinger explains why juveniles and adults are different. He states, “Young people are biologically different from adults. Brain imaging studies reveal that the regions of the adolescent brain responsible for controlling thoughts, actions and emotions are not yet fully developed.” (Garinger 93). I do not believe it is fair to treat a teenager the same as an adult knowing teenagers brains are not yet fully developed and do not possess the same level of neurotic connections. In some ways it is like expecting a child with down syndrome to act and behave the same as a normal child of the same age.

Many argue that because of the the child’s age, this matter is cruel and unusual. On top of that, they believe that the action of sentencing a child to life in prison is a violation of the Amendment

In the article, “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences” by Gail Garinger, states that, “An overwhelming majority of young offenders grow out of crime” (9). They have a chance to clean up their act and completely transform into a sensible person because their mindsets are still developing. This is another reason why I don’t think teens should be given the same sentences as adults. They are more easily influenced than their older counterparts and this is one of the factors that differentiate the two. I believe age limits were implemented into our everyday lives.Due to the inconsistencies in the mental state of juveniles, they aren’t trusted to take on “adult” responsibilities. In all other aspects of the world, we are considered children; children who deserved to be nurtured. If they aren’t treated as adults normally, why should they be in the judicial system? We shouldn’t be sent away for committing a heinous crime. Instead, we should be looked after and monitored so that we can learn from our mistakes. Children are better reformed in an environment where they are taught right from wrong as compared to one where they are treated as

According to research, "[There is a massive loss,] gray matter, which brain researchers believe supports all our thinking and emotions, is purged at a rate of 1 percent to 2 percent a year during this period.... These frontal lobes, which inhibit our violent passions, rash actions, and regulate our emotions, are vastly immature throughout the teenage years (Thompson, 7)." This means that scientifically, only stating facts, juveniles are not ready to be equal to adults. Similar questions arose in Marjie Lundstrom's article, "Kids Are Kids- Until They Commit Crimes." Lundstrom states how ironic it is that society perceives juvenile-aged children as such immature and untrustworthy human beings until they commit crimes (Lundstrom, 3). Suddenly, their rights as kids are taken away and they are left to be fully responsible for their actions, which they were never used to doing. They suddenly lose their rights to be protected by their parents and they are put in a situation where they cannot support themselves, they have no experience being self- reliant, but they have to

Many people say that adult prison is too violent for juveniles. Adult prison is filled with violence and many other bad things that juveniles should not be around. According to SPLC (southern poverty law center) juveniles face a lot of danger in adult prison. Many people also argue that juveniles brains aren’t fully developed. Studies have shown that juvenile brains aren’t fully developed until they are 21. Opponents argue some juveniles aren’t taught right from wrong at a young age and grow up to make

Many times in the news we hear about adolescents facing charges that can forever dictate their lives. There have been cases where children have been faced with the chance of life of prison without the chance of parole. This topic has been a discussion that has been more popular and popular with the more cases that appear. This is now a major issue in our modern society with younger adolescents becoming more exposed to violence. We now have to take teenage crimes and their punishments into consideration as we all know there will be many more cases in the future so it is only reasonable to come up with a solution on how to deal with these juveniles. I for one believe that juveniles should not be sentenced to life without parole.

In Australia, the phrase “life sentence” has multiple meanings, but all have a common element, that the person receiving a life sentence will be serving their time in prison for the crime, and after that they will remain on parole for the rest of their life.

Imagine a sibling, cousin, or friend, young and oblivious. Not having to worry about the world or the dangers that come with it, just enjoying their youth. Now imagine their once happy, free-spirited self, scared, sad, and lonely with handcuffs, a uniform behind cold metal bars. Imagine the last time you see them is while they are walking out of a courtroom, knowing they won't come back out because they were just sentenced to life in prison. It would be a horrible thing to witness knowing their life hadn’t truly started yet. Juveniles accused of violent crimes should not be tried and sentenced as adults because the frontal lobes of a juvenile's brain is not fully developed, they are more impulsive, and they focus on the potential outcome and

There is a direct relationship between juveniles that are convicted and held in adult prisons and the depression it inflicts, creating a poisonous cycle of crime that they will be unable to escape from. After an increase of murders committed by juveniles during the early 1980s and throughout the 1990s, a quick adjustment was made by the supreme court and state courts to increase the abilities of the law to condemn violent juveniles with bleak futures into adult prisons to protect the children who had more optimistic chances. While the protection of the less violent children is important, however, there has been a great many studies that prove it is not the wisest way of seeing the situation at large. Juveniles in prisons designed for their age groups create a sense of value to them as human beings, are generally safer, and are more focused on rehabilitation into society as young adults. Sentencing a juvenile to an adult prison leads to feelings of worthlessness, depression, alienation and a fearful environment where they are unsafe and more likely to be encouraged to further their crime abilities to survive in an adult world.

According to Sarah Jayne Blakemore, in her conference “ Mysterious Workings of The Adolescent Brain,” she proves that juveniles are not using their brains to think rationally and to consider the feelings of others. Rather than trying to understand someone else's point of view they think on a “ me, my, myself” basis. Another example of how undeveloped the adolescent brain is and how it proves that life without parole for juveniles should be abolished is the “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” by Paul Thompson article. Paul states that, “The biggest surprise in recent teen-brain research is the finding that a massive loss of brain tissue occurs in the teen year(89)” proving that less and less teens are using their minds, they are literally losing their minds because they are not using them. “ The loss was like a wildfire, and you could see it in every teenager. Gray matter, which brain researchers believe support all of our thinking and emotions, is purged at a rate of 1 percent to 2 percent a year during this period(89),” says Thompson. Meaning that if a juvenile spends their life in cell and lives a repetitive lifestyle, they lose brain cells. Juveniles who are locked behind bars, wasting their time, are losing brain cells. They are unable to expand their learning and engage in maturing the same way as the rest of the teens. Juveniles who get sentenced

Juveniles should never be put into adult facilities, due to the lack of proper care for the youth in these buildings. For example, most adult facilities do not provide proper education. Some don’t even provide any at all for the juveniles. “A 2005 survey of adult facilities found that 40 percent of the jails and prisons had no educational services” (Curley). Therefore, the educational lag could impact their future career options, and could make them indigent for the rest of their life. “Many juveniles are placed in isolation, which can severely exacerbate or even cause mental disorders that have the potential to affect them for the rest of their lives.”(Curley). To prevent mental disorders, adolescents should be placed in juvenile facilities,

As more minors commit murders, courts must decide their punishments. There are two sides divided on punishments for juveniles. One side wants children to be never be tried as as adults (no matter the crime). The otherside wants to allow for courts to charge children as adults; with a reasonable excuse to (like murder). Kids who intentionally commit murder, rape, or other major offenses must be tried as an adult and be charged with life without the possibility of parole. It is only fair for the safety and peace of our citizens, to try child offenders who committed a serious crime as adults.