Virginia case, different benchmarks that prove adulthood, and opinion of the public. The justices properly decided this case because of how closely they paid attention to detail and the implications of the ruling. One important factor was that between 1973 and February 2005 when the case was decided, only 22 juveniles had been executed (Woo). This statistic illustrates the evolving public opinion that the government can’t execute children due to moral implications. The Atkins v. Virginia case established that people who are mentally insane are unable to receive the death penalty because they are unable to understand their actions and punishment (Atkins). The Supreme Court made the right decision in deeming juvenile death penalty unconstitutional because it would be unacceptable to leave the decision in state’s hands. If juries were placed in a position to decide whether or not a juvenile should be served the death penalty, it would be hard for them to separate mitigating evidence such as their undeveloped minds from the fact that he or she committed an appalling
Virginia case, different benchmarks that prove adulthood, and opinion of the public. The justices properly decided this case because of how closely they paid attention to detail and the implications of the ruling. One important factor was that between 1973 and February 2005 when the case was decided, only 22 juveniles had been executed (Woo). This statistic illustrates the evolving public opinion that the government can’t execute children due to moral implications. The Atkins v. Virginia case established that people who are mentally insane are unable to receive the death penalty because they are unable to understand their actions and punishment (Atkins). The Supreme Court made the right decision in deeming juvenile death penalty unconstitutional because it would be unacceptable to leave the decision in state’s hands. If juries were placed in a position to decide whether or not a juvenile should be served the death penalty, it would be hard for them to separate mitigating evidence such as their undeveloped minds from the fact that he or she committed an appalling