Roper V. Simmons Pros And Cons

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 …show more content…
Although Tessmer dropped out amidst the events, Simmons and Benjamin proceeded to kidnap their victim and throw her off a bridge where she died. Consequently, Christopher Simmons was sentenced to death for premeditated murder which he was clearly guilty of, on account of his confession and reenactment at the crime scene. After Simmon’s stay was granted after the consideration of Atkins v. Virginia, a new petition was filed. After it was found that the national consensus had changed in favor of abolishing the death penalty for minors, Simmons was instead sentenced to life without parole (Capital Punishment In …show more content…
Many argue that death penalty for juveniles should be determined based on local standards, just like the regular death penalty, while some argue this should be determined on a national level. Regarding this form of thinking, it is only fair that if the national age of majority is 18, it should be no different for the death penalty limit to be 18 as well. If a person cannot have legal control over their life until that age, it doesn’t seem justifiable that minors be executed when they have practically no legal control over their