the state and federal courts lasted for years, but they were rejected. In 2002, the Missouri Supreme Court stated they should reconsider Simmon’s case after looking at the previous court case of Atkins v Virginia, which stated executing the mentally ill constituted as cruel and unusual punishment. Using the reasoning from the atkins case, the Supreme Court ruled in Roper v. Simmons that the execution of an individual who is under 18 at the time they committed their crime violates the constitution’s eighth amendment against cruel and unusual punishment. At the time, many death penalty states had exempt juveniles from capital punishment, so the Court saw that as evidence for their decision. Although many people disagree with the ruling, “Studies
