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Explain Why Juveniles Should Not Receive The Death Penalty

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Juveniles should not receive the death penalty. The frontal lobe is not completely developed until the early twenties. The eighth amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. There is plenty of time for rehabilitation. Therefore, minors should not be given the death penalty
The frontal lobe, the reasoning portion of the brain, does not completely develop until around age 25. In adulthood, the frontal lobe makes a person more rational. A teenager’s ability to reason comes from the part of the brain associated with emotions. Although a juvenile should know the difference between right and wrong, the emotions could be so strong they do something irrational. The age set for joining the army, smoking, and drinking is at after the age of 18 in the United States due to the lack of development in the teenage …show more content…

Killing a juvenile by lethal injection is a cruel punishment. Four supreme court justices have agreed that the death penalty for a minor is a “shameful practice”. Death by lethal injection involves the administration of 3 drugs. The first to sedate, the second to paralyze, and the third to stop the heart. Giving these drugs to a juvenile would be considered both cruel and unusual punishment.
Rehabilitation for juveniles would be better than sentencing them to death. Research shows that 90% of people who break the law during their younger years do not become criminals when they are older. Juveniles are easier to rehabilitate than adult offenders. By rehabilitating, the offender not only gets punished for their wrong doing, but he/she also gets the chance to be a better person. Rehabilitation for the juvenile offender is a better option than the death penalty.
The two best arguments against getting rid of the death penalty for juveniles are that anyone who kills another person should be killed themselves, and that everyone knows the difference between right and wrong. However, both arguments are

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Some might agree that, “The juvenile justice system is failing to protect citizens from the surge in violent crimes committed by juveniles. What is needed is a system that protects society from violent juvenile offenders, and efficiently rehabilitates juveniles." (G Garcett) The threat of this harsher punishment will result in lowered juvenile crime rates. Juveniles should be convicted as adults for violent crimes because it is not fair for juveniles to commit big crimes and get away with it so easily.

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The purpose of the juvenile system is to focus on the reasons for their behavior rather than focusing on the being guilty or innocent, like how the adult court system works. Having community based restorative justice is one of the main targets the system should focus on with juveniles. Community based restorative justice focuses on the harm that was caused and what needs to happen in order to be better. I also believe that getting juveniles involved in community service will only do good for the kids as well. Another statement mentioned in the article “Juvenile InJustice: Charging Youth as Adults Is Ineffective, Biased, and Harmful” they write, “When we lock up young people, they are more likely to be exposed to extreme violence, fall prey to abuse, and suffer from illness.

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Juveniles should not be given life in prison because their brains are underdeveloped, they are inexperienced and deserve a chance at rejoining society. It goes without saying that the brains of minors are

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For the past years there has been a debate on whether juveniles should be tried as life without parole or life with parole. In my opinion juveniles who commit first or second degree murder should not receive a mandatory sentence to life without parole. Although the juveniles are underage they are well informed of what’s right and what’s wrong, but some of them have difficulty understanding of what they are doing at the moment of the crime because they are angry and act before thinking clearly. I agree with the majority of supreme court justices who believe that mandatory life sentences are unconstitutional, unfair and inhumane because juveniles are immature, their brain is not completely developed, and they are unaware of long term impact

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Juvenile Justice The supreme court's ruling on life in prison for juveniles is too easy. Juveniles who commit murder should be sentenced to life in prison. It's only fair that if a juvenile takes a life then they deserve life. I don't agree that they should abolish mandatory life in prison for juveniles.

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Juveniles Should Not Be Tried For Violent Crimes Imagine a boy living a part of their life in a prison. Every day they must follow orders from someone of higher ranking than them. Life is harsh in an adult prison. Juveniles are tried as adults for violent crimes in several states.

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The juvenile criminals are not fit to be a part of society the moment they decide to kill or severely hurt someone. They have no regard for human life and therefore, they should be locked up or given the death penalty depending on the severity of their

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Unquestionably, the death sentencing of juvenile offenders has been relatively a controversial issue due to the aftermath of Thompson v. Oklahoma (1988) and Stanford v. Kentucky (1989), which were landmark cases that dealt with capital punishment of a minor that overturned the death sentence because it was classified as cruel and unusual punishment. In addition, the Supreme Court found that minors lack the experience, perspective, and judgement expected of adults, therefore the death penalty may be a severe punishment for minors. Besides that, the application of the death penalty for juvenile offenders is creating significant international concern with the United States being one of countries to currently allow juvenile offenders to be executed.

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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. In the article published by the New York Times on March 14, 2012 “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences”, Garinger discusses that juveniles deserve a second chance since their brains are still developing.

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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. The article “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” explains that the teenagers lose brain tissue that is responsible for self control and impulses (Thompson 7).

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Minors are often immature when they commit horrendous crimes. Furthermore, they don't have an appropriate level of psychological understanding to make sound decisions. Trying juveniles as adults is wrong because juveniles are not mentally stable enough to understand that the decisions that they make can negatively impact their future, trying minors as adults hinders their growth as individuals and harms their productivity in the long run. Instead of juveniles being sentenced as adults for their criminal offenses, they should be obligated to participate in intervention programs. Juveniles don't have a fully developed mental stability to make sound decisions.

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In the end people might have different opinions on the situation, whether a juvenile should be sentence to life or not. The situation of the juvenile should be taken into consideration and take action with that, but if they are guilty they should receive the fair sentence even if they are young. They can later be acknowledge for their rehab and change, and only then should their sentenced should be reduced. Juveniles deserve the same treatment as adult and should receive life sentences.

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When people commit crimes, there should be disciplined no matter what. Juveniles need to learn that their behaviors have consequences. Why should kids be given any less of a punishment for committing the same crime? According to one author, “Taking a life is murder regardless of the age of the offender, and the penalties to be imposed must not discriminate. After all, the victim’s life will never be returned, and the family will permanently lose their loved one” (“7 Top Pros and Cons of Juveniles Being Tried As Adults”).

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801 Words | 4 Pages

There are many questions and arguments to whether or not a juvenile should be sentenced to life in prison for murder, or not. In my opinion, I do not believe that juveniles should be sentenced to life when murder is committed. Many argue that an adolescent 's brain is not fully developed at this time in their life. I do agree to this statement, to a certain extent. Most juveniles are fully capable of knowing the difference between right and wrong, but I do believe something throughout their adolescence, something traumatic had to have happened to trigger the individual to commit such an action.

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Juveniles Justice 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.

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