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Juvenile Offenders: Annotated Bibliography

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The theme presented within both articles is a trend that has lead the juvenile justice system away from harsh punishments for juvenile offenders in recent years. The first article titled, Trends in Juvenile Justice State Legislation, addresses the recent shifts in juvenile justice policies from 2011–2015. After a dramatic increase in serious juvenile crime in the 1980s and early 1990s, legislature in nearly every state passed laws that would hold more juvenile offenders accountable through adult sentencing. Yet by 2015, it has been said that states continue to re–examine it’s policies to produce more effective response to juvenile crime and improve the overall system experience. According to the article, several factors can be attributed to …show more content…

She focuses on the shift made my the United States Supreme Court in it’s approach to juvenile sentencing since 2005. According to the article, the ideological shift has occurred as a response to the increase in biological and sociological studies, which points towards a fundamental difference between juvenile offenders and adult offenders. The note presented within the article addresses how the new mandates by the Supreme Court have been implemented around the country, with a focus on statutory changes Illinois should making moving forward. The note argues for the removal of lengthy, consecutive term–of–years sentences, based on the idea that it does not give juvenile offender the “meaningful opportunity for release” required by Graham. Secondly, the note argues that Illinois should amend its sentencing statutes to requires judges to consider several factors, while on record as a sentencing hearing, before sentencing a juvenile homicide offender to life in prison. The factors, laid out within the note, has been said to put Illinois at the forefront of ethical juvenile sentencing, while ensuring that it does not violate the authority of Miller. The article states that these theories have been criticized for being too ‘soft’ on punishment for juvenile who are convicted of felony murder. However, the author states that these suggestions are meant to allow for the protection the adolescents under the Eight

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