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They Were Sentenced As Superpredators Second Chance Kids

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Paxton Bachelder Criminology Mr. Wolfard 17 May 2024 Second Chance Kids In the 1990’s, America was struck with a criminal epidemic, specifically in the teen and young adult age group. In response to the sudden crime, experts coined the term “superpredator” to describe the rise in teen crime. This term was coined by political science professor John DiIulio while at Princeton University. According to Dilulio, a “superpredator” is “a young juvenile criminal who is so impulsive, so remorseless, that he can kill, rape, maim, without giving it a second thought.” Dilulio later retracted and disavowed his theory, but it was too late. The media and criminal justice system in the 90’s and early 2000’s took his theory to heart, leading to a massive increase …show more content…

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. The topic of life in prison in general is an interesting one, I believe that religion, past experience, culture, and personality all play an effect on everyone’s opinion on whether people’s freedom should be taken for their whole life. I personally believe that the death penalty and life in prison (without chance of parole) are cruel and unusual and are a violation of our 8th amendment rights as

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