Essay on Juvenile Death Penalty - 3656 Words

A 16 year old boy is at the peak of their adolescent life, learning and discovering about puberty, maturity, right and wrong and future life goals. On the other hand, a man of 25 has matured, lived long enough to have made both good and bad judgments and has already been in the process of achieving those life goals they once thought of as a teenager. In a given situation, is it ethical to hold these two age groups, with mentalities that are worlds apart, to the same standards and punishments in the justice system? Until Roper v. Simmons in 2005, the justice system did just that, treat the actions of 16 year old with the same consequences as if they had been committed by an adult. In Roper v. Simmons the United States Supreme Court declared†¦show more content†¦Is it then ethical to sentence a person with undeveloped reasoning and thinking skills to the death penalty if they cannot fully comprehend the consequences of their actions? If adolescents are being considered to have diminished reasoning and thinking skills, how then do they compare the mentally ill? Do the same standards apply? If so, then the case of Atkins v. Virginia, in which it was declared by the U.S. Supreme Court that the mentally handicapped would not be sentenced to the death penalty, would be essential to the cause opposing juvenile death penalty. It is not denied that these juveniles have committed horrendous crimes and should be held accountable for their actions, but certain mitigating circumstances negate the need for a death penalty. In the United Sates, the first juvenile death penalty recorded occurred in 1642 of a minor under the age of 18 and the youngest person ever given the death penalty was ten-year old James Arcene in 1885 for robbery and murder (Strater, 1994-1995). By 1994 there were only 9 states, among which were New Jersey, Kansas, and Maryland, that prohibited the death penalties for juveniles. In 2003 the number of states permitting capital punishment declined to 21, a number of them allowing this punishment to those as young as 16 (Steinberg Scott, 2003). Since the days of the first juvenile execution approximately 362 more juveniles have beenShow MoreRelatedThe Death Penalty For Juveniles946 Words   |  4 Pages The death penalty for minors differs greatly from the death penalty for adult. The law that minor could be put on death row was decided to rule against the eighth amendment. The eighth amendment prohibits the act of â€Å"cruel and unusual punishment† which putting minors on death row breaks. On March 4, 2005 the law that minors could not be put on death row for their actions was set into place. The new laws say, â€Å"They cannot punish a minor by death penalty and they cannot punish someone for a crimeRead MoreThe Death Penalty For Juveniles1169 Words   |  5 PagesResearch Paper: Death Penalty for Juveniles Capital punishment for juveniles is one of the most controversial topics to ever be explored in society and in the criminal justice system. The death penalty is a rare occurrence amongst juveniles since it is so arguable as to whether they should be tried as adults. Lynn Cothern from the Juvenile Justice Resource Center suggests that â€Å"the primary purpose of the juvenile justice system is to hold juvenile offenders accountable for delinquent acts whileRead MoreThe Death Penalty and Juveniles2945 Words   |  12 PagesThe Death Penalty and Juveniles CJA433 The Death Penalty and Juveniles In the United States, the death penalty is an issue because of its controversies. Some people see it as a punishment. Some people say â€Å"an eye for an eye,† and believe this is the way to stop youth offenders from following the path of crimes such as murders. This does not only pertain to the youth but also to the adults. Others believe the death penalty to be cruel and unusual punishment even for the adults. In the law, juvenilesRead MoreJuvenile and the Death Penalty1817 Words   |  8 PagesENG101 Dr. Ankerberg March 6, 2007 Essay #2 Juveniles and the Death Penalty Today, minors are using their age as a shield against capital punishment. Adolescents believe that since they are not eighteen they will not be punished for the crimes they commit. The death penalty is appropriate for juveniles in certain circumstances, such as murder and brutal crimes that are considered capital offenses. The rate at which the death penalty is carried out, as well as inconstancies in sentencingRead MoreJuveniles and The Death Penalty Essay1604 Words   |  7 PagesJuveniles and The Death Penalty *No Works Cited One of the most controversial issues in the rights of juveniles today is addressed in the question, Should the death penalty be applied to juveniles? For nearly a century the juvenile courts have existed to shield the majority of juvenile offenders from the full weight of criminal law and to protect their entitled special rights and immunities. In the case of kent vs. United states in 1996, Justice Fortas stated some of these special rightsRead MoreJuvenile Death Penalty Essay1353 Words   |  6 PagesJuvenile Death Penalty One of the most controversial questions in the juvenile justice system today is, Should the death penalty be applied to juveniles?†. A lot of people think that the death penalty for juveniles is cruel and unusual punishment and should only be used for adults. The crimes that juveniles commit are as dangerous and as violent as adult crimes. People argue that the adolescent brain does not mature until the late teens or early twenties, and that death penalty should not be theRead MoreEssay on Juvenile Death Penalty1824 Words   |  8 PagesDeath at 18? One of the most controversial issues in the country today is addressed in the question, Should the death penalty be applied to juveniles, and if so how young is too young? The death penalty has been in the United States for many, many years, and the United States still has yet to figure out how to solve all its dilemmas and whether or not the penalty is right or wrong. Debates about the use of the death penalty for juveniles have grown more intense because of the recent demand forRead MoreEssay on No Death Penalty for Juveniles2164 Words   |  9 Pagesthat the death penalty is, â€Å"the punishment of execution, administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime.† Capital crimes array from murder to drug trafficking. In the United States the death penalty is mostly administered towards first-degree murder, with non-murder crimes varying by state. â€Å"Currently, only 58 nations actively practice the death penalty, with 96 countries having abolished it, the rema inder have not used the death penalty for 10 years or only allow for death in exceptionalRead MoreThe Juvenile Death Penalty: A Case For It1583 Words   |  7 Pagesschool with a 3.5 accumulative grade point average, pulling a 4.0 grade point average from the time of my expulsion on. I walked across the same stage as the athletes, the band geeks, the book worms and the teacher’s pets. An expelled student with a juvenile record walked across the same stage as the full ride scholarship earners and the Valedictorians. Today, I am attending the University of Northern Colorado, double majoring in Criminal Justice and Psychology. I received a 3.4 grade point average myRead More Death Penalty Applied to Juveniles Essay1684 Words   |  7 PagesDeath Penalty Applied to Juveniles   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1643 a sixteen year old boy was put to death for sodomizing a cow. Three hundred and fifty years later, sixteen states have legitimized the execution of juveniles. Four of those twelve states have lowered the legal age of execution to twelve. For whatever reasons the death penalty has been supported by the public since this countrys existence. In this day and age of increasing violence, both juvenile and adult, it is time to re-examine the use