Think Before Passing A Verdict
Teenagers with so much life ahead of them should not receive a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Currently, there are around 2,000 teens serving life sentences without the possibility of parole (Liptak and Bromer). The film When Kids Get Life documents the situation. In the film, it's stated “ California voters were so persuaded by tough-on-crime rhetoric, they passed Proposition 21,” (Lundstrom). Proposition 21 gave prosecutors the power to try juveniles as adults instead of judges. Also, the film explains that during the 1980s the media was promoting a “youth-violence scare” led by teen-gangs (Lundstrom). The media's actions is one of the main contributors to the tough-on-crime rhetoric that led …show more content…
to minimize the offenders culpability simply because of their age (Jenkins)”. But supporters don't take in account of mitigating factors that were possibly overlooked. These extenuating circumstances include immaturity, impetuosity, failure to recognize risks and consequences, and family/home environment (Liptak and Bronner). These factors call into question if life without parole is necessary for juveniles to serve adult time for adult crime. Do adult still believe that juveniles won’t change or be rehabilitated.
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. For example, in the film, When Kids Get Life they show Jacob Ind who was fifteen when he was tired as an adult. He states, “I definitely didn't understand the gravity what it means to kill somebody. I mean, I didn't think they'd feel pain. I didn't think anybody else would be affected (When Kids Get Life)”. Jacob Ind’s statement clearly shows how undeveloped his brain is. Ind didn't …show more content…
According to Dan Macallair of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, “The excitable media has perpetrated the youth violence scare in the 1980’s”(Lundstrom). The influential power of the media may have inadvertently affected the juries that were on the cases for each juvenile that is currently serving life without parole. People who watch the media need to question the media because it can blow things out of proportion. The media also needs to be wise on its actions because it can affect people in negative way. Also, not all juveniles are violent and unstable like the media portrays them. For example, Nathan Ybanez was 14 when he was sentenced for without parole for killing his mother because of years of sexual abuse. Nathan as stated, “I knew that it wasn't right, but I wasn't sure about my place in the whole area of what was going on with my family in the world in general. I'd kept apart from a lot of outside things,” Nate added. “These kind of things [sexual abuse] made me feel like I wish I could cut off my skin. That's how I feel. Even today.” (When Kids Get Life). Nathan never had any previous trouble with the law. He was a good kid. It was just that life at home was chaotic and caused him to kill his mother who was sexually abusing him. Nathan also feared his father. He had violent tantrums and that his mother was very controlling. Nathan never deserved any of
Teenagers with so much life ahead of them should not receive a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Currently, there are around 2,000 teens serving life sentences without the possibility of parole (Liptak and Bromer). The film When Kids Get Life documents the situation. In the film, it's stated “ California voters were so persuaded by tough-on-crime rhetoric, they passed Proposition 21,” (Lundstrom). Proposition 21 gave prosecutors the power to try juveniles as adults instead of judges. Also, the film explains that during the 1980s the media was promoting a “youth-violence scare” led by teen-gangs (Lundstrom). The media's actions is one of the main contributors to the tough-on-crime rhetoric that led …show more content…
to minimize the offenders culpability simply because of their age (Jenkins)”. But supporters don't take in account of mitigating factors that were possibly overlooked. These extenuating circumstances include immaturity, impetuosity, failure to recognize risks and consequences, and family/home environment (Liptak and Bronner). These factors call into question if life without parole is necessary for juveniles to serve adult time for adult crime. Do adult still believe that juveniles won’t change or be rehabilitated.
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. For example, in the film, When Kids Get Life they show Jacob Ind who was fifteen when he was tired as an adult. He states, “I definitely didn't understand the gravity what it means to kill somebody. I mean, I didn't think they'd feel pain. I didn't think anybody else would be affected (When Kids Get Life)”. Jacob Ind’s statement clearly shows how undeveloped his brain is. Ind didn't …show more content…
According to Dan Macallair of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, “The excitable media has perpetrated the youth violence scare in the 1980’s”(Lundstrom). The influential power of the media may have inadvertently affected the juries that were on the cases for each juvenile that is currently serving life without parole. People who watch the media need to question the media because it can blow things out of proportion. The media also needs to be wise on its actions because it can affect people in negative way. Also, not all juveniles are violent and unstable like the media portrays them. For example, Nathan Ybanez was 14 when he was sentenced for without parole for killing his mother because of years of sexual abuse. Nathan as stated, “I knew that it wasn't right, but I wasn't sure about my place in the whole area of what was going on with my family in the world in general. I'd kept apart from a lot of outside things,” Nate added. “These kind of things [sexual abuse] made me feel like I wish I could cut off my skin. That's how I feel. Even today.” (When Kids Get Life). Nathan never had any previous trouble with the law. He was a good kid. It was just that life at home was chaotic and caused him to kill his mother who was sexually abusing him. Nathan also feared his father. He had violent tantrums and that his mother was very controlling. Nathan never deserved any of