Life Without Parole For Minors
Bailey Graham
Professor Cory Lock
Rhetoric and Composition #1
24 Oct 2015
Life Sentences Without Parole for Minors
Introduction
Before 1980, life without parole was very rarely imposed on children. In today’s society we are consumed with the idea of keeping everyone safe; this has led to a high incarceration rate, especially with minors. In America, currently 2,225 minors are sentenced to life without parole before they turn eighteen. The criminal justice system works on a three strike system, which means you have three minor offenses before you go to jail. Also with the strikes, you are judged on if your crime was of passion or pre-meditated. In the past the issue in judging each situation was that sometimes “children” or minors were charged as adults, due to mandatory minimum sentencing. This is no longer the issue because in 2012, the Supreme Court case (Miller v. Alabama) found mandatory minimum sentencing unconstitutional under the 8th amendment, (which bans cruel and unusual punishments). The problem now is what the Supreme Court forgot to address in there ruling; does this ruling apply to the roughly three hundred adults serving life without parole that were sentenced as juveniles. Adolfo Davis is the leading case that is addressing …show more content…
Alabama, Even Miller the petitioner was fourteen at the of his crime. Miller and a friend were drinking and smoking marijuana with a fifty-three-year-old named Canon; Canon being a neighbor of Miller’s. While they were drinking and smoking a fight broke out between the two boys and Canon. The two boys then proceeded to beat up Canon and set fire to his trailer while he was still knocked out in it. Miller was convicted of capital murder and tried as an adult in court. He received the mandatory minimum sentence to life without parole. Miller tried to appeal his case too both the Alabama State Court and the Alabama Supreme court. He argued that that mandatory life without parole t but upheld the
Professor Cory Lock
Rhetoric and Composition #1
24 Oct 2015
Life Sentences Without Parole for Minors
Introduction
Before 1980, life without parole was very rarely imposed on children. In today’s society we are consumed with the idea of keeping everyone safe; this has led to a high incarceration rate, especially with minors. In America, currently 2,225 minors are sentenced to life without parole before they turn eighteen. The criminal justice system works on a three strike system, which means you have three minor offenses before you go to jail. Also with the strikes, you are judged on if your crime was of passion or pre-meditated. In the past the issue in judging each situation was that sometimes “children” or minors were charged as adults, due to mandatory minimum sentencing. This is no longer the issue because in 2012, the Supreme Court case (Miller v. Alabama) found mandatory minimum sentencing unconstitutional under the 8th amendment, (which bans cruel and unusual punishments). The problem now is what the Supreme Court forgot to address in there ruling; does this ruling apply to the roughly three hundred adults serving life without parole that were sentenced as juveniles. Adolfo Davis is the leading case that is addressing …show more content…
Alabama, Even Miller the petitioner was fourteen at the of his crime. Miller and a friend were drinking and smoking marijuana with a fifty-three-year-old named Canon; Canon being a neighbor of Miller’s. While they were drinking and smoking a fight broke out between the two boys and Canon. The two boys then proceeded to beat up Canon and set fire to his trailer while he was still knocked out in it. Miller was convicted of capital murder and tried as an adult in court. He received the mandatory minimum sentence to life without parole. Miller tried to appeal his case too both the Alabama State Court and the Alabama Supreme court. He argued that that mandatory life without parole t but upheld the