Should violent juvenile offenders from the ages of 10-17 be given life sentences? This is a widely debated topic. There are currently 2,230 juveniles in the United States serving life without parole. Juveniles also account for ten percent of the homicides that occur in the United States. Louisiana, California, Florida, Pennsylvania and Michigan have the highest number of juveniles serving life without parole. Pennsylvania currently has the highest number, with 370 juveniles sentenced to life without parole. Those who believe that violent juvenile offenders should be given life sentence say that they understand what they are doing and should be held accountable for their actions, and their victims don’t get a second chance at life, so they shouldn’t.
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They have can often face harsher treatment that adults. Debora LaBelle comments that “Juveniles are getting sentenced more harshly than adults because of their inability to negotiate the adult criminal justice system.” Juveniles reject plea deals more often than adults. Comparing the same crimes, adults can receive less time in jail because many of them don’t understand their sentences. Michele Deitch states “Research shows that youths held in adult jails are five times more likely to be sexually abused and 36 times more likely to commit suicide.” They are often traumatized by what they have experienced and have to come back into the world dealing with that. It costs tax payers about $100,000 a year to house a juvenile in an adult facility, and only $43,000 to house them in a juvenile …show more content…
The U.S Supreme Court recently passed a bill in 2012 with a 5-4 decision stating that mandatory life without parole for juveniles is unconstitutional. It is considered to be “cruel and unusual punishment” which is protected by the eighth amendment in the Constitution. However, it does not apply to juvenile murderers. Their age and the circumstances around a crime must be considered. "A life without parole sentence improperly denies the juvenile offender a chance to demonstrate growth and maturity. Incapacitation cannot override all other considerations, lest the Eighth Amendment's rule against disproportionate sentences be a nullity.” (Kennedy). As of January 2016, teenagers who are sentenced to life in prison will have a chance to argue that they should be released from
They have can often face harsher treatment that adults. Debora LaBelle comments that “Juveniles are getting sentenced more harshly than adults because of their inability to negotiate the adult criminal justice system.” Juveniles reject plea deals more often than adults. Comparing the same crimes, adults can receive less time in jail because many of them don’t understand their sentences. Michele Deitch states “Research shows that youths held in adult jails are five times more likely to be sexually abused and 36 times more likely to commit suicide.” They are often traumatized by what they have experienced and have to come back into the world dealing with that. It costs tax payers about $100,000 a year to house a juvenile in an adult facility, and only $43,000 to house them in a juvenile …show more content…
The U.S Supreme Court recently passed a bill in 2012 with a 5-4 decision stating that mandatory life without parole for juveniles is unconstitutional. It is considered to be “cruel and unusual punishment” which is protected by the eighth amendment in the Constitution. However, it does not apply to juvenile murderers. Their age and the circumstances around a crime must be considered. "A life without parole sentence improperly denies the juvenile offender a chance to demonstrate growth and maturity. Incapacitation cannot override all other considerations, lest the Eighth Amendment's rule against disproportionate sentences be a nullity.” (Kennedy). As of January 2016, teenagers who are sentenced to life in prison will have a chance to argue that they should be released from