The Juvenile Death Penalty

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the death penalty as it pertains to juveniles and discusses the importance of the issue. The writer cites several recent juvenile death penalty cases heard by the Supreme Court and provides analysis into their issues. The writer then provides a well reasoned conclusion and proposal regarding the death penalty as it pertains to juveniles.

Outline:
Introduction
The Juvenile Death Penalty Debate
Pros and Cons
Cons
Conclusion
References

From the Paper:

"In recent years Americans have watched in horror as teenagers committed more grisly crimes than ever before. Shooting sprees at high schools, acting as a sniper on the freeway and murdering neighbors for the sake of a few dollars worth of jewelry are just some of the juvenile cases that have received national attention. The American judicial system is faced with the task of punishing the teenagers who commit these crimes, while at the same time trying to remain fair to the United States Constitution. Over the past few decades, juvenile defendants convicted of various violent crimes have been sentenced to death. This has created heated debates in many sectors of the public as well as the legal profession. Should juveniles be put to death? That is the question that has haunted society for decades. The Supreme Court recently ruled that using the death penalty for a juvenile is no different than using it on a mentally retarded individual and should be considered cruel and inhumane punishment. Though the decision has been made and juveniles convicted of previously capital punishment cases will now serve life in prison the debate rages on about the correctness of that decision. Some believe that juveniles do not have the mental or emotional capability to understand the seriousness or the consequence of their crime. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Adelman, Stanley E. (2005) Supreme Court bans death penalty for under-18 offenders.(CT FEATURE)(Cover Story) Corrections Today
• Juvenile death penalty abolished (accessed 08-27-06) http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0302/p01s01-usju.html
• Stanford v. Kentucky(accessed 08-27-06) http://www.oyez.org/oyez/resource/case/770/
• West, Valerie (2005) The decline of the juvenile death penalty: scientific evidence of evolving norms. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

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