Introduction to Corrections
Stephanie L. Calvert
December 15, 2007
Juveniles and the death penalty is a hotly debated issue in the criminal justice system. There are two different views on the death penalty some are for and some are against the punishment. Some see juveniles as young and influential and deserve a second chance to clean up and become a productive member of society, while others feel the punishment should fit the crime; no matter what age.
To better understand this issue, let’s start with an explanation of the death penalty. The term death penalty has only meaning, and that meaning is putting a condemned person to death. This is the ultimate punishment for those convicted of …show more content…
This amendment was adopted in 1869 after the Civil War and “intended to incorporate the ‘privileges and immunities’ enumerated in the Bill of Rights at the level of the states, and compel state authorities to ensure ‘equal protection of the laws’ for all their citizens.” (Oxford University Press 1992, 2005) This amendment was put into place mainly due to the abolishment of slavery after the civil war to ensure African Americans equal protection, but it states that all citizens of the United States are ensured equal protection from and under the law. (Oxford University Press …show more content…
I think of troubled youth that are influential still in their behaviors, but still know the difference between right and wrong. The same as well with a 16 or 17 year old juvenile. Many, when asked this, would think of their own children and see nothing wrong. That their children do know what is right and what is wrong. The above juveniles mentioned in the cases probably did know that what they were doing was wrong, but had a criminal past behind them that fueled these heinous acts. For their actions, they were sentenced to death. Many feel that the sentence imposed be wrong due to the ages of the defendants. Yet, the states overruled them in saying that the Eighth Amendment was not violated. I support the death penalty, and feel that the court followed all procedures and the sentence imposed was just. In conclusion, I feel that the punishment should fit the crime, and the punishment in these cases has.
Bibliography
Champion, D. (2004). The Juvenile Justice System-Deliquency, Processing, and the Law 4th ed. . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall .
Cornell University. (1992,1998,2005). Cornell University Law School. Retrieved 12 December, 2007, from Cornell.edu: http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0492_0361_ZO.html
Flaherty, L. T. (2002). Summary of Thompson V. Oklahoma 487 U.S. 815 (1998). American Psychiarty , 1-4.
Law Dictionary.