Juveniles dont deserve life sentences

The United States is the only country in the world that permits youth to be sentenced to life without parole. Sentencing children to die in prison is condemned by international law. For children or adults, a sentence of life without parole is cruel, inhumane, and denies the individual’s humanity. For children, the sentence also defies law and research confirming that youth are different than adults and must be treated differently by our justice system.    

Between 2005-2016, the U.S. Supreme Court issued several decisions banning extreme adult sentences for youth. In Roper v. Simmons, the Court banned the juvenile death penalty; in Graham v. Florida, the Court banned life without parole sentences for youth convicted of non-homicide crimes; and in Miller v. Alabama, the Court banned mandatory sentences of life without parole for youth convicted of homicide crimes. Youth may still be sentenced to discretionary life without parole in homicide cases, but only after the sentencing court has determined, after a full hearing, that the youth is permanently incorrigible and incapable of rehabilitation.

In each of these cases, the Court relied upon scientific research to conclude that even youth who commit the most serious or violent crimes have the capacity to change. Because of their developmental immaturity, impetuousness, and susceptibility to negative peer influences, children are less blameworthy for their criminal conduct than adults.

Research also shows that most youth will naturally grow out of criminal behavior by their mid-twenties. Life without parole and other extremely lengthy sentences keep youth in prison well past the point at which they have been rehabilitated and well beyond any reasonable risk of re-offending.

Moreover, many juvenile lifers— both inside and out of prison — are leading exemplary lives. They are leaders within the prison walls, and many of those who have returned home have dedicated themselves to working with youth and keeping their communities safe.

Extreme Sentences Don’t Work

We need solutions that work. It is far more expensive to lock individuals up for life than to invest in our schools and our communities. These sentencing practices don’t make us safer, and they deny youth who have demonstrated growth and maturity the chance to rejoin their families and communities, and contribute to those communities in meaningful and productive ways.  

Juvenile Law Center is a leading advocate nationwide in the fight to end juvenile life without parole and other harsh sentences for youth in the justice system. We have participated in all of the sentencing challenges before the U.S. Supreme Court. We continue to provide litigation support, technical assistance, and professional training to support the ongoing implementation of these decisions at the state level.

Images: © Richard Ross, juvenile-in-justice.com

Children are usually seen as innocent, as they play around with others and are just balls of energy. Often seen as simply kids who have no experience in the outside world until they grow older. However, sometimes a child’s play can go wrong and can affect another’s life. When these incidents happen where a death is involved, it’s often easy for society to look at the offender as a murder who should be in prison for the rest of their life despite what age the offender may be. While juveniles committing heinous crimes should be punished, they should also be given the chance to rejoin society at an appropriate age; therefore juveniles who redeem themselves should be able to get released earlier and be able to put their life together. A child’s …show more content…
They learn more as they grow older with experience. To throw a juveniles into jail and give them no hope to rejoin society can affect the juveniles mind into depression, hence with a chance given to them, they would grasp onto it and be able to redeem themselves for the better. As addressed in Gail Garinger’s article “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences”, she mentions juveniles just can’t do the things that most adults are allowed to easily do. She writes,”... they are less mature, more vulnerable to peer pressure.. And their characters are still in formation” (6). Throwing a juveniles in an adult prison despite committing an “adult” crime is similar to throwing a kitten into a cage of lions. There is a difference between a child and an adult. Adults have more life experience, their brain are more developed, their emotions can easily be controlled. A child on the other hand is underdeveloped, they learn from the adults around them. A juvenile’s call to action can go on without much thought, while an adult understands the consequences of committing a crime. She also mentions, “the same malleability that makes them vulnerable to peer pressure also makes them promising candidates for rehabilitation… majority of young offenders grow out of crime” (8-9). Juveniles can grow out of their misbehavior. It is easier to make a juveniles grow into a law-obeying citizen as juveniles are still developing, they can intake the information and understand from the mistake they made as a child. Given the chance and opportunity to be released at a reasonable age, juveniles can change for the better. Hence, juveniles should not be sentenced to life without parole as they can also redeem themselves during their time of

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