The first case that stuck out with me the most was the In re Gault case of 1967. This case focused on a youth named Gerald Gault who was 15 at the time of the supposed offense. I feel this kid was railroad from the beginning his rights were violated in many ways. He did not receive the right to counsel, notice of charges, questioning of witness because the witness did not show up for the proceedings, protection against self-incrimination, a transcript of the proceeding, nor and appellate review all these things were denied. www.ncjrs.gov I believe it was important in establishing the due process clause of the 14th Amendment which was violated.…
I agree with the Supreme Court that a death penalty awarded to someone under the age of 18 is inhumane and cruel, but I strongly believe life in prison for such a crime at age 17 is warranted. My argument is made out of a balance of retribution and the future safety of society. Rehabilitation, if it is still possible, should be a focus for the offender himself. That’s why I think judicial waivers are best in these types of situations. States can use discretionary or mandatory transfers to adult court.…
I believe that those who committed a crime as a teen should be able to have parole. While I can understand the argument that teens who have murdered have stripped others of their life and should therefore be stripped of their own freedom and life, I lean more towards the science behind it all. Teens have highly underdeveloped brains. Their frontal lobes -in charge of decision making - are still growing. Thus, when faced with stressful situations and hormones rushing through the body, they may make atrocious decisions.…
Juveniles should not be sentenced to life without parole for first degree murder. We don’t treat kids as adults in society, so why should we punish them as adults. The document video Lost for Life: 2014 tells us stories of kids who are in the juvenile system for mistakes that they deeply regret. Brian and Torey killed a girl because Brian wanted to be known as something and Torey wanted his fantasy of Scream to come to life.…
One of the reasons juveniles should not receive life sentences without parole is because juvenile brains are not fully developed until adulthood. According to Paul Thompson a USC neurologist researcher, “In terms of cognitive development, as research on the human brain [of juveniles] is far from adulthood” (Thompson). Adults need to understand that juveniles are still juveniles. When juveniles are charged with a heinous crime, like murder, they need to not overlook the fact that a juveniles brain is undeveloped.…
Juvenile crime has been an increasing point of debate in recent years. Many people argued whether they should be sentenced as adults or not when convicted of a serious crime, such as murder. Some argue that juveniles deserve to be treated as such despite the crime they have committed, while others believe they are to be treated as adults. This resulted in many juveniles receiving adult sentences like life in prison without parole. Some juveniles commit crimes without a thought of the risks, while some carefully plan out their crimes and get a serious thrill out of it.…
I believe that by making some changes to the mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines would in the long run make our justice system better able to serve the people. I know many of you, like I believe there should be no change to the mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines, but have you or I for that matter really thought through what that means for people like Lee Wollard or Trina Garnett? Lee Wollard didn’t hurt the young man, he protected his daughter and family, yet is spending twenty years behind bars because he fired a warning shot into his home. Trina Garnett was an abused teenager with a mental illness that needed medical care not sent to prison.…
Imagine you’re a married mother to a small toddler. It’s your anniversary this weekend, so you leave the toddler with your neighbor, and their teenager, while you go out to eat. You come back from your night out to sirens and police crowding your street. The teenager, in a violent, fit killed your little kid by accident. They will never grow up, they will never have a favorite baseball team, they will never go to school, and they will never have a family.…
This is not to argue about the pros and cons of the death penalty and juveniles, but to give data it can inform the controversial argument to focus on the Death Penalty and Juveniles. This is important to the general area under study because it will give a clearer view on the opinions of each person on the death penalty and juveniles. The intent is to provide details of death penalty and juveniles, whereas to give an understanding of what causes these young offenders to commit a crime and why the law agrees with the death penalty on juveniles with no difference from the adults. Additional studies show the death penalty used with juveniles may perhaps appear to be civilized or not. Sentencing a juvenile to death could lead to asking questions for…
There have been many opinions on juveniles being convicted as adults on the crimes they have committed. When it comes to some of these harsh crimes, who could not punish the individual to the fullest? It does not matter how old a person is because everyone knows the difference between right and wrong. If someone is raised differently and believes it is okay to murder another human, than they cannot just change their mindset. An individual that makes and adult decision should have the same consequences.…
Juvenile’s brains are also not fully developed. This made it unconstitutional to sentence juveniles to life without the possibility of parole. I think this is a fair law because juveniles may be completely different once they hit adult hood, but the case of Miller V. Alabama made me feel differently. I still believe that he should be sentenced heavily. At the time of his crime he was fourteen, and fourteen year olds know that it is not right to murder someone.…
Crime is a tremendous issue in the United States, but it becomes controversial when the age of offenders drops at a massive rate over the years. The United States has tried Juvenile offenders as adults for committing heinous crimes. However, citizens all over the country have argued that juveniles are too young for such punishments. The United States has developed the juvenile court system to trial minors, under the age of eighteen, differently from those in adult prison. However, the crime rate for juveniles has become massive, and in a large degree.…
Juveniles and Life Sentences Do juveniles deserve mandatory life in prison for their crimes or should they have the opportunity to receive a second chance? In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for any crime are now illegal to give to juveniles meaning that juveniles are no longer allowed to serve mandatory life sentences in prison. This ruling is agreeable because juveniles are not fully developed, and it is unfair for juveniles to serve mandatory life sentences. Juveniles do not deserve life sentences because the teenage brain is not fully developed.…
Capital Punishments role in America plays a huge part in how America handles offenders and repeat offenders. Staticbrain.com reports that Time magazine says,” An estimated 2,000,000 people have been victims of crimes, from assault to murder. With insufficient laws to address these issues, criminals become careless and bolder. For this reason, there is a need for a death penalty.” Capital punishment, should not be abolished because, it takes committing a heinous act to receive the death penalty.…
In one of the biggest landmark cases of American history, Roper v. Simmons was a case that upended the death penalty for minors, three years after the unfortunate death of Napoleon Beazley. This was monumental for both the American justice system and the general public, because it showed that public sentiment toward the death penalty had shifted massively enough in order to cause change in the legal system. With newly found revelations that the American public was now not okay with the execution of minors, Cristopher Simmons was granted a stay during his time on death row in 2002 with the simultaneous consideration of Atkins v. Virginia. Not only did this allow him to live, but it became a crucial precedent for the cases to follow. Although…