Juvenile Offenders

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at the American perspective on juvenile offenders. According to the paper, the USA is one of a very few countries that will sentence a juvenile offender tp the death penalty.
The paper further discusses how this is not true for all US states. The nature of the American justice system, is that each state establishes its own policy regarding the punishment of criminals.

Outline:
Introduction
Juvenile Law
Supreme Court Ruling
Public Sentiment
Missouri
The Psychology of Adolescence

From the Paper:

"Recent research into the structure and function of the brain suggests that it may be more appropriate to treat even older teens as juveniles rather than adults. Brain imaging has confirmed that the human brain is still undergoing significant development and structural changes at the ages of 16 and 17 and that this affects the ability to make sound decisions and to resist impulsive actions (Beckman, 2004).
Much of this newer information is available because of advances in brain imaging techniques. Researchers are still exploring whether brain development finalizes around the age of 20 or at 25, but the changes that take place before that point are viewed as crucial to the ability to make good choices (Beckman, 2004). However, brain scans of teenagers show gray matter still being covered in a fatty protective coating called "white matter). Researchers found that just before puberty the amount of gray matter increases substantially, followed by a period called "pruning, where gray matter cells are pared away, while the amount of white matter increases. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Beckman, Mary. 2004. "Crime, Culpability and the Adolescent Brain." Science Magazine, July 30.
• Bradley, Curtis A. 2002. "The Juvenile Death Penalty and International Law." Duke Law Journal, Vol. 52.
• Death Penalty Information Council (DPIC). "U. S. Supreme Court: Roper v. Simmons." Accessed via the Internet 1/31/06. <http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=38&did=885>
• Fagan, Jeffrey, and West, Valerie. 2005. "The Decline of the Juvenile Death Penalty: Scientific Evidence of Evolving Norms." Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, Vol. 95.
• Field, Barry C. Bad Kids: Race and the Transformation of the Juvenile Court. Oxford University Press: 1999.

More papers on Juvenile Offenders:

• Essay # 16831 : "Juvenile Offenders"
• Term Paper # 113138 : "Violent Juvenile Offenders"
• Research Paper # 109953 : "Recidivism and African-American Juvenile Offenders"
• Analytical Essay # 60126 : "Intervention for Juvenile Offenders"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: