It can cause more harm than good. Being sent to live in a cell is not good for kids, they can never be prepared for that. John Schwartz speaks about a case in which there was a terrible consequence of giving a child a life sentence. In his article "Rethinking juvenile justice :after years of moving in the opposite direction, many states are now making it harder to try teen offenders in the adult justice system" in the New York Times Upfront, he reveals, "Left alone in his cell despite his frantic pleas not to be isolated, he tightened his bedsheets around his neck and took his own life" (Schwartz). This boy committed suicide because he could not deal with the reality of having to live the rest of his life in a prison cell. No one wants to live that way. Death must have seemed like a better option than rotting in a cell. For a child, that is all too much to handle. Being separated from the outside world when that is all they knew can cause the child a lot of trauma. They can begin to become depressed, leading to them wanting to take their lives or they can even go insane. It doesn 't just affect the child, it also affects their family, friends, and other loved ones. The family will no longer get to have their baby at home. Their child will never again be able to attend Christmas parties, Thanksgiving dinners, or any other kind of celebrations. Their family will be changed, it won 't be the same with their child …show more content…
A life sentence without parole is cruel and unusual punishment. Living life caged up like an animal is wrong. Patricia Smith 's New York Times Upfront article "Crime & Punishment: the Supreme Court recently struck down mandatory sentences of life without parole for juveniles. The ruling signals a shift in how the law treats young offenders" speaks upon the Miller v Alabama and the Jackson v Hobbs cases stating, "The Supreme Court rules that mandatory life without parole is unconstitutional for all juvenile offenders, even murderers" (Smith). She is saying that the Supreme Court agrees that automatically sentencing a juvenile to life without parole goes against a person 's rights. It violates the Eighth