Argumentative Essay On Juvenile Justice

Juvenile Justice Essay When a juvenile is involved in a crime that results in the death of an innocent person, how many lives should be destroyed? The problem with the Supreme Court arguing this is how they are trying to fit it into a box, they are making it into a black and white situation when there is a rainbow of colors in between. Justice Elena Kagan helped rule that juveniles who committed murder could not be sentenced to life in prison, while her fellow Justice, Alito, opposed this decision stating that mandatory sentences reflect the will of the American people. A blanket policy for this is not going to work. Children are products of the environment they are raised in, and if these environments were changed a lot of these bad act would stop happening, however people are also responsible for their actions and if they understand right from wrong and ignore this then they should be punished accordingly. When you consider the arguments for and against harsh punishment for juvenile offenders, it becomes clear that there is no winner or right answer when minors are involved in crimes. …show more content…
The majority stated that mandatory life sentences without parole for a juvenile precludes consideration of their chronological age and its hallmark features. However, there was four Justices that strongly disagreed with the ruling. They argue that Americans want Evil to be punished and when someone commits a heinous crime, no matter the age, should always be punished with a sentence to life in prison. It is clear that both of these viewpoints are prevalent in most Americans minds when this issue get raised, but there is a line that needs to be drawn between justice for crimes and being too firm and cruel in the punishment of violent crimes committed by