Juveniles are known to not being the most intelligent offenders of all time. And to sentence them to life in prison for something other than heinous crimes is unconstitutional. I will be discussing why it is unconstitutional, certain court cases that pertain to this misfortune, and some medical reasons why juveniles should not be held accountable all the time
In many states many judges are forced to give a juvenile the life sentence without being able to take anything into consideration like their home environment or the facts about the case. They have to give them life in prison because that is the law in the state itself. About twenty five percent of the people in prison for life were incarcerated when they were children and a portion of …show more content…
The Supreme Court also ruled in June 2012 that mandatory sentencing laws don’t apply to juveniles. 29 states have laws in place that protects the children already. In Miller v. Alabama Evan Miller, who was 14 at the time and Colby Smith killed Cole Cannon by beating Cannon with a baseball bat and then after they killed him they set his trailer on fire. He was charged with capital murder and arson and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Miller tried to appeal saying that it was cruel and unusual punishment to lock up a 14 year old boy for the rest of his life and that it violated his Eighth Amendment. It was denied. But in a related case Kuntrell Jackson, Derrick Shields, and Travis Booker robbed a movie store in Blytheville, Arkansas in November, 1999. Shields shot the store clerk with a weapon that Jackson didn’t know he had. They fled the scene. Jackson was caught and tried for capital murder and robbery. He also got the mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jackson also filed for an appeal. The Supreme Court finally looked at the case and a 5 to 4that it violated both the boys’ rights. They decided that it wasn’t cruel and unusual punishment to give life in prison without the possibility for parole to an adult it is is completely unfair to give it to a child who has their whole lives ahead of them("Miller v. Alabama 567 U.S. ___ (2012)"). The fact that the supreme court agrees that it is cruel and unusual to lock mere children up before they even actually have the chance to live their
In many states many judges are forced to give a juvenile the life sentence without being able to take anything into consideration like their home environment or the facts about the case. They have to give them life in prison because that is the law in the state itself. About twenty five percent of the people in prison for life were incarcerated when they were children and a portion of …show more content…
The Supreme Court also ruled in June 2012 that mandatory sentencing laws don’t apply to juveniles. 29 states have laws in place that protects the children already. In Miller v. Alabama Evan Miller, who was 14 at the time and Colby Smith killed Cole Cannon by beating Cannon with a baseball bat and then after they killed him they set his trailer on fire. He was charged with capital murder and arson and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Miller tried to appeal saying that it was cruel and unusual punishment to lock up a 14 year old boy for the rest of his life and that it violated his Eighth Amendment. It was denied. But in a related case Kuntrell Jackson, Derrick Shields, and Travis Booker robbed a movie store in Blytheville, Arkansas in November, 1999. Shields shot the store clerk with a weapon that Jackson didn’t know he had. They fled the scene. Jackson was caught and tried for capital murder and robbery. He also got the mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jackson also filed for an appeal. The Supreme Court finally looked at the case and a 5 to 4that it violated both the boys’ rights. They decided that it wasn’t cruel and unusual punishment to give life in prison without the possibility for parole to an adult it is is completely unfair to give it to a child who has their whole lives ahead of them("Miller v. Alabama 567 U.S. ___ (2012)"). The fact that the supreme court agrees that it is cruel and unusual to lock mere children up before they even actually have the chance to live their