“Thump! The jury finds you guilty! Three life sentences without parole!” the young boys and girls that hear this sentence generally aren’t considered the best of kids, however locking away a juvenile for life takes much more thought than it takes to address this sentence to a legal adult. In “Locked Away Forever” by Patricia Smith the question is attempted to be answered, which is should juveniles receive life sentences without chance of parole?
According to the eighth amendment it's been band to sentence a juvenile life in prison for commiting murder because it's cruel and unusual punishment. The reason for it is because teens aren't as mature as an adult and should not be treated as one. Teens should be tried as juveniles and have less harsh of a penalty then an adult. The supreme court ruled that juveniles who committed murder could not be sentenced to life in prison for a reason and that reason is teen brains aren't fully developed and mature.
On November 18, 1999, Kuntrell Jackson accompanied his older cousin, Travis Booker, and an older friend, Derrick Shields, to a video store after discussing robbing the store (Chang & Wang, 2012). Jackson waited outside of the store while Shields entered, pointed a shotgun at the clerk, and demanded money; Jackson entered shortly after, and while he was in the store Shields shot and killed the store clerk because she would not give him money and mentioned calling the police (Chang & Wang, 2012). After Shields shot the clerk, he left the store with Jackson and Booker; they did not steal anything from the store while they were inside, even after the clerk had been shot and killed (Chang & Wang, 2012). Nearly four years later, on July 19, 2003,
The answer is yes, for the following reasons: murder,multiple time offender, and rape. Murder Murder is one of the biggest reasons why adults serve life sentences. So why not juveniles? There are many reasons why a juvenile commits murder: Mentally unstable, have been repeatedly molested/abused by a parent figure,and does not know how to handle society.
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
In my opinion, juvenile killers should not be sentenced to life without parole. The reason, I say this is because at that age these juvenile kids can tell what is right or wrong. So, giving them such a harsh punishment is not right. The two individuals in the video should be punished for their crime, but the government needs to realize the reasoning behind it too. If one looks at a different perspective, they will realize that the actions taken by these two individuals were for self-defense.
Crimes are happening around us whether we pay attention to them or not. Those crimes as dangerous as murder are committed by all ages but should younger criminal in their juvenile age received the same punishment as older criminals. On June 25, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles committed murder could not be sentenced to life in prison because it violates the Eighth Amendment.(On-Demand Writing Assignment Juvenile Justice) Advocates on the concurring side believes that mandatory life in prison is wrong and should be abolish. However, the dissenting side believe that keeping the there should be a life in prison punishment for juvenile who commit heinous crime regardless of their age.
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.
“I, personally, am not willing to send anyone but the worst criminals to jail, because I do not believe in judicial rape. The punishment does not fit the crime”- Ian Welsh (Cognitive Dissonance). Everyday teens are being tried as adults and are going to adult prison with life sentences. Teens who haven't even lived a third of their life yet, are about to spend the rest of their life in prison getting rapped on the daily, are suffering from mental trauma, and being brutally beaten by prison gang members. All this can be avoided if it wasn't so easy for teens to be tried as adults.
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).
Well I personally believe that depending on the certain circumstances the teen should not be charged to life without parole. These certain circumstances include the teens brain development and the teens environment he or she was raised in. These two factors is what determines if the teen should be charged as an adult and spend the life in prison without parole. Studies have shown that the human brain isn’t fully developed until the age of twenty-five. Since the human brain isn’t fully developed until the age of twenty-five, this shows how people who are younger than the age of twenty-five still have many things to learn until their brain is fully developed.
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”).
Juvenile crimes some see their actions and think that they should be responsible to the fullest while others believe that they should be punished due to the circumstances. On June 25, there was a debate whether juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) should be a thing. There were many arguments that suggested that the juveniles should convict to life without parole stating that it's not all on them the family and home environment that the adolescent lives in plays a huge role in how they respond to certain actions. Also, sentencing juvenile life without parole is also seen as a violation of one's' Eighth Amendment which states had no human should face cruel or unusual punishment. There are also the ones who believe that the juvenile life without
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.
