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Prosecuting juveniles as adults
Prosecuting juveniles as adults
The effects of juvenile imprisonment to minors
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Some of the examples of unfair treatment described in Just Mercy are juveniles charged as adults, trauma not acknowledged, and also mental health/disabilities being ignored. Because of this, there were consequences. This treatment was unfair because it was cruel and unequal within the justice system. One of the unfair treatments in the judicial system was juveniles getting charged as adults. Juveniles would get life in prison even for homicides.
In the article it states, “The court said that minors who commit terrible crimes are less responsible than adults: They are less mature, more susceptible to peer pressure, and their personalities are not yet fully formed.” In this quote the author is reasoning against life without parole because they are less mature and not fully developed. Although all crimes deserve proper punishment, juveniles should not receive life without parole because they are still developing and this punishment leaves no room for a second chance
In the documentary “When Kids Get Life” by Ofra Bikel we see five men who were sentenced to life in prison for committing crimes in their teens. We hear the stories of how it happened, why it happened, and what life is like for them today. This documentary sheds light on the battle that juveniles face when they commit crimes and the judicial system. This documentary relates heavily in the material we learn because although it is about teenagers who receive life in prison, the judicial system plays a key role.
In the book Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, who is an attorney, guides us through his life in Alabama and how he helps defend innocent, poor people and children on death row who were wrongly convicted. Nearly 44,000 youth are incarcerated in juvenile justice facilities. Currently an estimated 250,000 youth are tried, sentenced, or incarcerated as adults every year across the United States. While some may argue that young adult offenders should be tried and punished as adults to ensure that their actions do not reoccur, the United States Justice Systems should implement rehabilitation and less harsh punishments for younger offenders to fully develop and mature.
In Just Mercy, when a young lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, takes on Walter McMilians, a man who was wrongfully convicted for murder, Stevenson also conducts a thorough investigation. Even though Walter is already in jail, when Stevenson takes on his case, he starts at the beginning of the entire federal criminal process. Stevenson makes sure to review all aspects of Walters' case, before making any judgements. Even though his family had already made statements, Stevenson visits Walter and his family to get a sense of who he was and his whereabouts on the day of the murder. He listened to “testimonials about Walter, the town, race, the police, the trial” (pg. 1).
The author of Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson, shares many moments of his career throughout his book. One devastating experience he faced was his grandfather’s murder. Throughout chapter 14 and other chapters of Just Mercy, Stevenson explains that the lives of these children committing these crimes and being put on death row couldn’t be looked at as their fault without it really being evaluated. The lives of these children before being put on death row, were abusive, not safe, and terrible parental supervision.
cWe All Need Mercy: Analysis of the film “Just Mercy” Angela Twigg ENG1010 Professor Potas March 2, 2023 We All Need Mercy: Analysis of the film “Just Mercy” The film Just Mercy is based off of real-life events. The film is centered around attorney Bryan Stevenson and his work with prisoners on death row. Bryan Stevenson and his organization, The Equal Justice Initiative, provide legal representation to prisoners on death row that are thought to be wrongly convicted, or that have been denied a fair trial.
Alabama, as a result of Miller’s appeal the Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to impose a life without parole sentence on children under age 18. The documentary Second Chance Kids and the article They Were Sentenced as Superpredators covers the aftermath of the 2012 Supreme Court ruling that followed “lifers” who were imprisoned as minors and not offered a chance for parole. One of these lifers, Joe Donavan, was one of the first to be released on parole after the court’s ruling. One notable thing to remember is that none of the prisoners released after committing crimes as children have broken their parole or perpetrated another crime. This supports the court’s decision to release prisoners who committed crimes as minors as it proves the “superpredator” theory wrong by showing that these teens are capable of improvement and change.
Tile A 13 year old girl snuck out in the middle of the night to meet up with friends she had met on an online game called Roblox but was pronounced missing by her family the next day. For instance, in the video When Kids Get Life produced by Ofra Bikel stresses that Life without parole sends a message that you are not worthy of rehabilitation. Juveniles cannot be tried with the same standard as adults, the reason behind this is that juveniles do not have the same amount of time and experience living as an adult who would have committed a crime would have. The justice system thinks it is unfair and unconstitutional to give a child life in a sentence because a child’s brain has not fully developed as for the adult they all have no leniency towards them.
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
There are many victims of unfortunate circumstances in the world today, yet some of these results could have been easily avoided. In the novel, Just Mercy, the author Bryan Stevenson addresses many cases in which children under the age of 18 are incarcerated within the adult criminal justice system. By treating children as adults in the criminal justice system their innocence and undeveloped person, become criminalized. These children become dehumanized and only viewed as full-fledged criminals and as a result society offers no chance sympathy towards them. Stevenson argues that children tried as adults have become damaged and traumatized by this system of injustice.
Juveniles should be tried as adults with life without parole but only in certain cases: depending on their motive or modus operandi, their crime, and criminal background. Motivation Scandalous kids who commit crimes for unreasonable motives should most definitely have life without the possibility of parole. In some cases, they’re just doing what they think is best. Jacob Ind, a 15 year old from Colorado, was beaten and sexually molested by his step father. His mother abused him as well.
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.
The article “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences” argues that children in prison need to be given a chance to mature and be rehabilitated (Garinger 9). Because these killers likely committed these crimes on impulse, they would often realize after the fact that they were wrong to do such an action. Therefore, when they are released, they will be more careful and think about their actions before committing. If they are given a life sentence, they will never be given this chance to fix their life. Older people who commit murders are less likely to learn from their mistakes since they put more thought into the killing than adolescents
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.
