Juveniles and the Death Penalty
Juveniles and the Death Penalty
A highly controversial topic, in current affairs and throughout history, is the death penalty being the punishment for certain crimes. Even more passionate contention erupts from including juveniles amongst those being prosecuted. The death penalty should not be ruled out for minors. The previous statement is what is intended to be proven by the closing of this paper. Although intensely circumstantial, there are instances when it is agreed by numerous individuals and, in compliance with various states’ laws that a juvenile should be eligible to receive the same sentencing for the heinous and disgusting crime of murder that an adult would. Sometimes the sentencing is death. The purpose of this paper is not to argue whether or not the death penalty goes against the law of God or the constitution, but to simply convey that if, as a people, we come to agreement in certain places, that a “man” can be put to death if “justly deserved” then someone a couple years younger that is in the same position and situation, who commits the same act, should not be treated any differently. From the research that has been conducted to prove this thesis, opposing viewpoints and stances have been brought to light and accounted for. Introduced to this collected information that sprouted from the research, one can become torn and found dancing in the middle of the topic, but, ultimately, can only pick one side. The gathered information that will be represented in the following text built support of this thesis quite easily in comparison to the weak and incomplete points made of the opposing side.
Before building foundation and proving all of this, a brief background of the death penalty in this country will be provided. There had been many executions of people under the age of eighteen, long before the establishment of the U.S. government starting in 1642, in Massachusetts. The juvenile deaths by capital punishment totaled 344 spanning from the
A highly controversial topic, in current affairs and throughout history, is the death penalty being the punishment for certain crimes. Even more passionate contention erupts from including juveniles amongst those being prosecuted. The death penalty should not be ruled out for minors. The previous statement is what is intended to be proven by the closing of this paper. Although intensely circumstantial, there are instances when it is agreed by numerous individuals and, in compliance with various states’ laws that a juvenile should be eligible to receive the same sentencing for the heinous and disgusting crime of murder that an adult would. Sometimes the sentencing is death. The purpose of this paper is not to argue whether or not the death penalty goes against the law of God or the constitution, but to simply convey that if, as a people, we come to agreement in certain places, that a “man” can be put to death if “justly deserved” then someone a couple years younger that is in the same position and situation, who commits the same act, should not be treated any differently. From the research that has been conducted to prove this thesis, opposing viewpoints and stances have been brought to light and accounted for. Introduced to this collected information that sprouted from the research, one can become torn and found dancing in the middle of the topic, but, ultimately, can only pick one side. The gathered information that will be represented in the following text built support of this thesis quite easily in comparison to the weak and incomplete points made of the opposing side.
Before building foundation and proving all of this, a brief background of the death penalty in this country will be provided. There had been many executions of people under the age of eighteen, long before the establishment of the U.S. government starting in 1642, in Massachusetts. The juvenile deaths by capital punishment totaled 344 spanning from the
References: Major Death Penalty Cases in the US Supreme Court. (10/6/2008). Retrieved from http://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=001769 Dudley Sharp. (September 5, 2001). Why Some "Juvenile" Murderers Should Qualify For The Death Penalty. Retrieved from http://www.off2dr.com/modules/cjaycontent/index.php?id=29 Katherine Rams land,. (July 3, 2012). Youngest Serial Killer on Death Row. How might the movement toward leniency affect this killer 's case? Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/shadow-boxing/201207/youngest-serial-killer-death-row Nina Totenberg,. (March 20, 2012). Do Juvenile Killers Deserve Life Behind Bars? Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2012/03//20/148538071/do-juvenile-killers-deserve-life-behind-bars Death Penalty Cases. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.deathpenalty.uslegal.com/ Arguments for and Against the Death Penalty. (2003). Retrieved from http://www.deathpenaltycurriculum.org