Minors Deserve A Life Sentence Essay

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The question of if juvenile offenders deserve a life sentence is controversial and discussed in many forms because every crime is different. It is argued because some crimes are so cruel and heinous that even if a minor has committed them, there is no other punishment than life in prison without parole. However, there are crimes like a felony murder, when you are involved in the felony but not the actual killing; if one were part of a heist to rob a bank and something went wrong and their partner pulled out a weapon and committed a first-degree murder, they would be an accomplice. In these kinds of crimes a minor should not be given a life sentence. There is also the idea that children under the age of 15 or 16 are not mature and may have had a troubled childhood in which there should be alternatives provided like rehabilitation. Rehabilitation or other alternatives should be considered because there is …show more content…

There are many possible answers and outcomes of this “theoretical” issue that identifies problems with the life sentence given to minors. In 2005, in the Roper v. Simmons the Supreme Court ruled that juvenile offenders cannot be sentenced to death because “immaturity diminishes their culpability, as does their susceptibility to outside pressures and influences” (Josh Rovner, 2017). This decision was absolutely right because the death penalty for minors is harsh and violates the 8th amendment of “cruel and unusual punishment.” If not the death penalty the life sentence is applied and is justifiable in homicide crimes like Ashley Jones,14, who killed her grandfather (who took her in at the age of 13 because her mother abandoned her) and aunt with her boyfriend (Beth Schwartzapfel, 2014). These crimes are so hateful that there seems to be no more options, because just the thought of someone taking care of their granddaughter and in return getting death as a “reward” is toxicating.The life

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