Juvenile Sentencing
Sentencing juveniles to life is cruel and unusual punishment. The abolishment of the mandatory life in prison for juveniles who commit murder is a great start to stop sending children into state prisons with adults. “On June 25, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles who committed murder could not be sentenced to life in prison because it violated the Eight Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment.” Alex Hribal, the 16-year-old suspect in a stabbing spree at a Pennsylvania high school, has been charged as an adult by local prosecutors. Children being charge as an adult is really outrageous. They know right from wrong but what about having a heart or even being remorseful doesn’t that count for something. According …show more content…
The rationale for these earlier decisions is simple and equally applicable to the cases to be heard: Young people are biologically different from adults. The American Juvenile Justice System is the primary system used to address and deal with youth who are caught and convicted of crimes. The juvenile justice system intervenes in delinquent behavior through police, court correctional involvement, and is largely punitive. For over a century, states have believed that the juvenile justice system is means to protect the public by providing a system that responds to children who are evolving into adulthood. States recognize that children who commit crimes are different from adults: as a whole, they are less blameworthy, and they have a greater capacity for change. Which means they can be blamed but they have a conscience and they regret things? One could understand if the murder was planned and thought out for a child to receive a maximum of 25 years once they turn 18. By giving children life in prison is ruining their lives and they miss out their education. To respond to these differences, states have established a separate court system for juveniles, and they have created a separate youth-based service delivery system, that is different than that provided to
Sentencing juveniles to life is cruel and unusual punishment. The abolishment of the mandatory life in prison for juveniles who commit murder is a great start to stop sending children into state prisons with adults. “On June 25, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles who committed murder could not be sentenced to life in prison because it violated the Eight Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment.” Alex Hribal, the 16-year-old suspect in a stabbing spree at a Pennsylvania high school, has been charged as an adult by local prosecutors. Children being charge as an adult is really outrageous. They know right from wrong but what about having a heart or even being remorseful doesn’t that count for something. According …show more content…
The rationale for these earlier decisions is simple and equally applicable to the cases to be heard: Young people are biologically different from adults. The American Juvenile Justice System is the primary system used to address and deal with youth who are caught and convicted of crimes. The juvenile justice system intervenes in delinquent behavior through police, court correctional involvement, and is largely punitive. For over a century, states have believed that the juvenile justice system is means to protect the public by providing a system that responds to children who are evolving into adulthood. States recognize that children who commit crimes are different from adults: as a whole, they are less blameworthy, and they have a greater capacity for change. Which means they can be blamed but they have a conscience and they regret things? One could understand if the murder was planned and thought out for a child to receive a maximum of 25 years once they turn 18. By giving children life in prison is ruining their lives and they miss out their education. To respond to these differences, states have established a separate court system for juveniles, and they have created a separate youth-based service delivery system, that is different than that provided to