Teenagers and other youth offenders should not be able to receive life without parole as a punishment for their crimes. Teenagers have the highest capacity for rehabilitation out of all of the prisoners in any institutions. Most teens who commit capital crimes come from homes where abuse from family members is common, yet intervention by social services is lacking. The kind of stress from this abuse, can make it possible for teens to act out in violent ways, committing heinous crimes. Additionally, a teenagers’ brain is still developing. At this age, most of the brain’s decision making skills are not fully developed
In 2005, the Supreme Court banned the death penalty for juvenile offenders because “people under 18 are immature, irresponsible, susceptible to peer-pressure and often capable of change” (Liptak, 2009). Teenagers are still developing their sense of who they are in this world. Omar Dixon was an accomplice in the murder of Benjamin Wilson, a star basketball …show more content…
With powerful impulses under poor control, the likely result is a crash and, perhaps, a crime” (Ritter, 2015). The fact is the teenage brain is evolving. During adolescence much of the brain undergoes massive chemical and physical changes. In fact brain development does not actually end until somewhere between the ages of 25 and 35. During adolescence, the most underdeveloped portion of the brain is the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that handles any and all decision making. The limbic system which controls emotions and reward processing, is fully developed. Based on adolescent brain development, the rewards of an action can be seen much more clearly than the consequences (Blakemore 2012). A teenager should not be punished the same way as an adult, because they are not working with the same mental
In 2005, the Supreme Court banned the death penalty for juvenile offenders because “people under 18 are immature, irresponsible, susceptible to peer-pressure and often capable of change” (Liptak, 2009). Teenagers are still developing their sense of who they are in this world. Omar Dixon was an accomplice in the murder of Benjamin Wilson, a star basketball …show more content…
With powerful impulses under poor control, the likely result is a crash and, perhaps, a crime” (Ritter, 2015). The fact is the teenage brain is evolving. During adolescence much of the brain undergoes massive chemical and physical changes. In fact brain development does not actually end until somewhere between the ages of 25 and 35. During adolescence, the most underdeveloped portion of the brain is the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that handles any and all decision making. The limbic system which controls emotions and reward processing, is fully developed. Based on adolescent brain development, the rewards of an action can be seen much more clearly than the consequences (Blakemore 2012). A teenager should not be punished the same way as an adult, because they are not working with the same mental