The Reason For Life Without Parole For Adolescents

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

Should a twelve year old child receive a life without parole(LWOP) sentence for committing a crime that he/she did not understand. I do not agree with the Supreme Court i believe they should be more lenient with younger criminals on the life without parole sentence. The 8th Amendment clearly states excessive bail shall not be required, not even excessive fines imposed, not even cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. The amendment is meant to safeguard Americans against excessive punishments. This

Life Without Parole for Juveniles On December 17, 1992, 15 year-old Jacob Ind went to school after having murdered his mother and stepfather in the early hours of that morning. In an interview with Frontline he recalled, “I remember I was sitting in the police station and this is how out of touch of reality I was. I had a small amount of marijuana, like an eighth of an ounce, in my bedroom. And I 'm telling my brother, 'You got to get the marijuana or else I 'm in trouble” (Profile Jacob Ind).

Sara Kruzan was 11 years old who did not have a very good family life. She met this man and he addressed himself as “GG”. GG took Sara in and bought her gifts and took her friends roller skating. He was like a father figure for her. GG took the naive adolescent and turned her into a prostitute and raped at the age of 13. Sara worked as a prostitute for three years, working from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.. After three years of sexual abuse and prostitution, Sara murder GG. She was arrested and was convicted

and so in one way or another he might have thought that he could of gotten away with the crime because of his age. According to criminological theorists peer pressure, relationships and experiences provide the framework for criminal behavior in adolescents. Simmons came from a rough background and upbringing with a lack of guidance from his parents According to Gottfredson and Hirschi criminal theorists, they believe low self control and impulsive behavior are part of what leads to criminal behavior

prosecuted with life in prison and are granted no parole. This is a serious punishment that is partnered with equally distressful actions caused by a person or group of people. In Colorado, it is evident that this punishment was dealt out to many minors in a time of panic. According to the video, youth violence was on the rise and such violence was threatening the communities. Personally, I see no reason for a juvenile defendant to receive a drastic punishment like life in prison without parole; however

Ritter implicates that adolescents “particularly when confronted with stressful or emotional decisions, are more likely to act impulsively, on instinct, without fully understanding or analyzing the consequences of their actions” (Ritter). This exact reason can explain why Charlie shot his mothers boyfriend, as the years of abuse kept adding up to the point he acted out on instinct. The reason as to why adolescents act impulsively, such as Charlie is due to lack of full

In the article from the New York Times entitled, "Juveniles Don't Deserve Life Sentences" by Gail Garinger, he writes "Nationwide, 79 young adolescents have been sentenced to die in prison-a sentence not imposed on children anywhere else in the world. These children were told that they could never change and that no one cared what became of them. They were denied access to education and rehabilitation programs and left without help or hope"(93). It would be considered neglectful to imprison our criminal

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

penalty. In the 2010 Graham v. Florida case, the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to assign life without parole to a juvenile charged of a non-homicidal charge, and must be given an opportunity to prove themselves as mature and able of rehabilitation. Even further, the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to sentences juveniles under the age of eighteen to life without parole in the 2012 Miller v. Alabama case. Because of court decisions like these, juvenile delinquents no longer