Across the country, 111 people are serving life sentences without parole for crimes they committed as juveniles that did not result in a death, according to one report; 77 of them are locked up in Florida, for crimes including armed robbery and carjacking. The state took a get-tough approach in the 1990s in response to a crime wave that was "compromising the safety of residents, visitors, and international tourists, and threatening the state's bedrock tourism industry," Florida's brief to the court states.
Terrence Graham was sentenced to life in prison after he committed two felonies within a year of his turning 15.
The National District Attorneys Association, supporting Florida, said that while life without parole for juveniles might be unusual, "permanent incarceration for the most violent, hardened juvenile offenders is by no means 'cruel.' "
Sullivan and Graham are supported by a wide-ranging group of organizations: the American Bar Association, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and academics and social scientists who argue that juveniles cannot be held responsible for their actions in the same way adults are. For the same reason, they say, younger teenagers are not entrusted with decisions such as voting, marrying or drinking.
A group of educators and social scientists told the court that such research was crucial to the 2005 decision that juveniles should not be subject to the death penalty. "The principal purposes of sentencing -- punishing the culpable and deterring the rational -- are not furthered by denying the possibility of parole to adolescents," the group said.
Should juveniles be sentenced to life in prison with no chance of ever getting out of prison? Should juveniles be held for life for crimes that fall short of murder? Should the age of the juvenile come into play?
Sentencing should only depend on the crime committed. PERIOD.
ReplyDeleteI don't see why life sentences for youth offenders are an issue? To be as cliche as possible "Don't commit the crime if you can't do the time". Maybe they shouldn't do death sentences for minors, but that's probably as loose as I'll get on the issue.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Jacob on "Don't commit the crime if you can't do the time!" Whether your 13 or 25 you know that something that you have committed is wrong. You may be a bit more stable at the age of 25 than 13 but youths still know right from wrong. I don't think that there should be a death sentence for teens but my opinion may change depending on how close the teen was to being over the age of 18, if they were 18 when being trialed and the seriousness of the crime.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the previous comments. Even young teenagers know the difference between right and wrong. Most likely those committing such crimes at such a young age are going to continue, perhaps in the future committing more serious crimes such as murder. I say lock 'em up and throw away the key. Whether they're 13 or 17. I think the death sentence should be a possibility if the crime is extremely heinous, such as raping and killing younger children. These kids will never be a contributing member of society.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with the others. Once a child reaches a certain age they know good and well the difference between right and wrong. If a juvenile commits an adult crime, he or she should be prepared to suffer the consequences. With that said, I also think it is important in certain circumstances, depending on the crime, to try to intervene and see if there is another way to redirect that child and possibly give him or her a second chance.
ReplyDeleteIn general NO juveniles should NOT be allowed to be sentenced to death or a life sentence. In general juveniles do not have the emotional stability to know or understand the consequences of their actions. Yes there are exemptions.....a juvenile who is 17 and almost 18 and has shown a progression over the past few years into increasingly more violent crimes. But for the most part juveniles should in NO way be sentenced to life. That is cutting any potential that the child could reach. A juvenile does not have the same thought pattern or cognition that an adult has.
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