Do you think that life imprisonment for juveniles is "cruel and unusual punishment"? FYI: Supreme Court Justice Brennan in 1972 used the following interrelated standards to define the term:
- A punishment must not by its severity be degrading to human dignity especially torture.
- A severe punishment that is obviously inflicted in wholly arbitrary fashion."
- A severe punishment that is clearly and totally rejected throughout society." "
- A severe punishment that is patently unnecessary."
Post your 125+ word response by next Friday.
I think that life imprisonment for juveniles can be considered cruel and unusual punishment. Three of the main purposes of sentencing are rehabilitation, punishment, and public safety. If a juvenile inmate can be rehabilitated, and is deemed safe to the public, then the child should not have to serve a life sentence. However, if the child acted with the highest degree of culpability, then he/she purposely performed a criminal act, and should be punished accordingly. Still, I do not believe that punishment should be life in prison. Crimes are looked at and compared to similar ones in the past while making decisions on types of punishments. The principle of "stare decisis" says that we recognize previous decisions as precedents to guide future deliberations. This is why it is important to factor in a criminals culpable mental state, so that if one child murders someone purposely (highest degree of culpability)and gets life in prison, we won't consider life in prison for a child who murders someone negligently (lowest degree of culpability). A life sentence for juveniles is not "clearly and totally rejected throughout society" so it wouldn't be considered cruel and unusual punishment. This would also mean that it is not "patently unnecessary." Children who purposely commit a crime that would have life in prison considered as a option, may not be able to function normally in society, therefore, a life sentence might help them as well as the public.
ReplyDelete-Erica Hathaway
I believe that life imprisonment for juveniles could be “cruel and unusual punishment”. Depending on the action that caused them to be imprisoned, and depending on their age range, this could be unjust treatment. If the juvenile is young enough to not know the consequences of his/her actions then how can we punish them for the rest of their lives? I do believe locking a child behind bars is cruel. I believe they need help rather than confinement. Our jail and prison systems aren’t necessarily there to unsure rehabilitation; rather they serve as a punishment and a safety net for society. To lock a child in with adults who have committed severe crimes is doing nothing but hurting our society. I truly believe these juveniles should not be able to walk away without punishment, but should not have to suffer their entire lifetime. We should help them rather than throw away youths lives.
ReplyDeleteKENNEDY HYLAND
I think juvenile imprisonment is not cruel. Children who commit crimes should be locked up, just as an adult would if they committed the crime. I don’t think children should be given the death sentence, but I do agree that if they committed a highly offensive crime that they could be sentenced to life in prison. If kids are committing the same crimes as adults are, and we don’t lock them up, than they could just keep getting worse and create more destruction in our society. If we get them off the streets and away from all the bad, imprisonment might actually help them. They can get into programs and talk with kids that have things in common with them. Imprisonment doesn’t mean it’s the end for the children. It might be the end for some, but it might give others a second chance. It could make them realize the bad and turn it around to help themselves have a better life.
ReplyDelete-Katelyn Carillon-
I think juvenile imprisonment can be considered to be cruel and unusual punishment. it depends on the situation. Anyone that commits a crime should be punished, no matter what age. A child should not be given the same punishment as an adult though. They should not be given the death sentence. but like i said before it all depends on the situation and the crime. even though they are children they and they commit the same crimes as adults they should still be punished because they are doing the same crime so they should be punished but maybe not to the same extent because of their age. but if they dont get punished, when they get older they could still be committing crimes.
ReplyDelete-Kristen Caler
I believe that children above the age of 12 should receive life in prison. A child above the age of 12 is old enough to know right from wrong and should fall under the same standards as the other citizens of our country. Making children an exception to the law, to me is taking away from the integrity of the justice system. If a child made the choice to commit the crime that gave them life in prison, then they should suffer the consequences for their actions. To get life in prison a severe crime must take place. I don’t believe that going through the normal juvenile system could help a child and teach them what they did is absolutely wrong. It would be more of threat to society to let a criminal back out onto the streets. Especially if that same crime committed by an adult, would have given them life in prison.
ReplyDeleteI believe being a minor being sentenced to jail for life is cruel and unusual punishment. I feel this way mainly because this would be taking the life away of someone who may not have fully known right from wrong in the crime. While older minors (Like 16, 17 year olds) may not be excusable, younger minors, like I said, may not have been fully aware of what they were doing was wrong. Just as the mentally insane cannot be tried at trial because they do not know right from wrong, so to should minors not be punished by taking their life away for something they might not have known was wrong. This is why I believe sentencing a minor to life in prison is cruel and unusual punishment, because you're taking away someone's life before it starts.
ReplyDelete- Codey Weeks
My thoughts on sentencing children to imprisonment for life is in-fact cruel punishment. I still feel a minor should be punished in some way, and of course with varying degrees on harshness depending on the crime, but the death penalty and life in prison should not be an option. This is because I feel that minors are in a much higher emotional and stressful state than the majority of their elders. They have not only their hormones and ridicule of other kids to deal with, they must plan their future at the same time. So all of this combined with a minor's lack of life experience and perhaps not a full deep understanding of right and wrong, makes me feel that minors should not have to spend their entire adult life in prison for a mistake, albeit an incredibly stupid and immature mistake, committed as a child.
ReplyDelete--- Chad Weaver
I agree to an extent that minors should serve life in prison. I guess it depends on what they did. If they committed a murder absolutely they should serve life, if they are old enough to understand what they did wrong then they should be treated as an adult.
ReplyDeleteLife imprisonment for juveniles is not cruel and unusual punishment. That juvenile obviously committed a horrible crime in-order to be given such a severe sentence. The punishment should fit the crime committed, it should not matter what age you are. According to Supreme Court Justice Brennan, something that is cruel and unusual must be totally rejected through out society. Life imprisonment is not totally rejected throughout society and it is not even as big of an issue as lethal injection. By not allowing juveniles to have the chance of life in prison, if the crime firs, it's not letting the legal system do its job. The legal system is responsible for punishing wrongdoing. If a juvenile commits and adult crime they should be prepared for an adult punishment.
ReplyDelete-Carson Dettis
I feel like it would always just depend on the severity of the situation. I think that any 12 year old that commits a capital crime or something worth being sentenced to jail for life, then he should be sentenced to jail for life. Kids who are 12 have enough knowledge to understand right from wrong. I mean, obviously just like anyone else they would end up getting some chance of parole, or getting out early on good behavior, I agree with that to a certain extent. Once again it really just depends on how serious the action was. I guess you could say that I am all for killer 12 year olds going to jail for their lifetimes, or at least a portion of them.
ReplyDeleteMegan Pack
When a jury is giving the job of determining if the punishment fits the crime for a juvenile, more things should be taken into consideration than that of an adult. I myself feel that anyone who commits a crime should be given a punishment that fits the crime. A juvenile should be punished, but giving them a sentence of life imprisonment makes me feel that society has let our children down. Parenting can be very hard, but when the law is in charge of how children are disciplined instead of the parents, who is really the blame when a child goes astray? When a child commits a crime at a young age and is put into the system, they will never get out. They will always be labeled and will never be giving the chance to change for the better. Some children do not know right from wrong. When children know that they can call the police for being punished by their parents, who becomes responsible for teaching that child right from wrong the law, or the parent? I feel that a juvenile should not be sentenced to life in prison. Juveniles do not have the mentality, or the strength to survive in a maximum security prison. I see this every day in my community. When they are around lifetime criminals, the only thing that’s instilled in them is to survive by any means necessary no matter who gets hurt.
ReplyDeleteCatherine Love
I believe that life imprisonment for young should very well be considered a cruel and unusual punishment. I think it is patently unnecessary because no young person should have the rest of their life basically taken from them in order to discipline them. It never gives them a chance to prove that they learned from their mistake, and that is what discipline should be about. Discipline should never go as far as to take someone’s future from them, especially a young man or woman. This punishment basically should be considered degrading as well because it takes all remaining dignity from a young person when they have to spend the rest of their life in confinement. They have nothing left for themselves or for their families. It can be looked at as a resort for disciplining a crime such as murder, because they have taken another person’s life, and there is no telling if they will use a second chance wisely, but for any other crime, I think that life imprisonment is highly unnecessary and cruel.
ReplyDelete-Ali Coker
I think life imprisonment for juveniles is a cruel and unusual punishment. In my opinion, it doesn't help anything. I think juveniles should at least get therapy and be locked up for a while.. but for life? I think that's taking it too far. I think it is taking their future and destroying it. They should be punished to a certain degree, but not capital punishment or life imprisonment. I don't think kids that know right from wrong would mentally be able to handle a punishment that originally should be for grown adults. Some children can't help it because of how they were treated while being raised. No normal, mentally healthy, non- abused or neglected children would usually commit serious capital crimes. I believe juveniles should have a punishment to a certain degree but not serve for lifetime. They just need physiological help in my opinion.
ReplyDelete- Miranda Byers
I do believe that life imprisonment for juveniles is “cruel and unusual punishment” because it is taking away someones entire life as punishment for a crime that they might not even be aware of. I am a strong believer that, although this can vary, most people do not become psychologically aware enough to truly understand the consequences of their actions until early to mid teens if not later. This should not however forgive repeated actions or extreme crimes. Grand theft that continues after a warning has already been issued or homicide would be enough to convict anyone of competent age. The other exception would be to those with mental handicaps. These specific people may not be capable of understanding their actions or learning at any point in their life, and although they should not be imprisoned, they should be more closely monitored or if need be, be removed for urban society.
ReplyDelete-Ian Murphy
I feel a life imprisonment sentence for juveniles can be considered cruel and unusual punishment. Yes, juveniles do know right from wrong, but I feel there are times when a child only knows what they are taught. If a child is brought up in an environment where certain things are “normal” to that child, their perception on what’s right and what’s wrong changes. I feel they still should face a severe jail sentence, depending on the crime, to let them know negative behavior is not okay and will not be tolerated regardless of age, but also be given a chance to learn and grow while incarcerated. Jail time might be the wake up call the individual needs to realize the path they were on is not acceptable. They should be given a second chance at life if positive changes have been made.
ReplyDelete-Stephanie Wintermute
I agree that a juvenile can be sentenced to life in prison depending on what their age was when they committed the crime. If the juvenile was 16 or 17 during the time of the offense I don't find it to be cruel or unusual punishment if they committed a serious offense such as murder. If the juvenile was 15 or under however, I do find it to be cruel of unusual punishment because I do not believe that person was old mature enough to fully make a responsible decision.
ReplyDeleteRyan Westlake
I believe that depending on the juvenile that imprisonment can be a form of “cruel and unusual punishment.” I think that imprisonment should be based on many things; level of offense, mental status, character, upbringing, etc. I think that in some cases the juveniles parents should be looked at first, and then imprisonment for the juvenile should be considered after the fact. I do not believe that television, videogames, or anything like that are the cause of juveniles choices when I say to look at the parent first; I think that if a lot of these parents actually parented instead of being a friend then a lot of these juveniles would not be in the streets and have the time to commit the crimes that they commit. I believe that if a juvenile commits a high enough offense that they should be imprisoned. I just think in some cases these juveniles are not mentally ready for the prison lifestyle and that maybe a rehabilitation center would be a better fit with a counselor to figure out why the juvenile acted in such a way. I do not believe in the death penalty when it comes to a juvenile no matter what the crime was. Juveniles are children, not adults. Juveniles do not yet know what life is. They have not had a chance to experience the “real world.” I think it is fair to imprison or rehabilitate a juvenile depending on the level of offense, but I also believe there should be room for growth into an adult. After they serve their time for what they did, whether be prison or rehabilitation, they still deserve a chance as an adult to learn from their mistakes as a juvenile.
ReplyDelete-Nicole Brooks-
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ReplyDeleteI do not believe that life imprisonment is a "cruel and unusual punishment" this is because depending on what the child has done he may deserve to spend the rest of his life imprisoned. If like the kid was a small boy/girl under the age of five and they had killed someone i highly doubt they knew what they were doing so I may say that life in prison would be a little extreme but if they're like ages 9-10 they know what they did and im sure they understood what was going on when they did whatever they did. so if a 9 year old killed someone they probably had it in there mind that they wanted to do it, it was most likely not an accident.
ReplyDeleteAndrew Carson
In some cases life imprisonment can be "cruel and unusual punishment." However, if the child has done a crime so severe to deserve life in prison, then he or she should be punished for it. Most people think that children can not be held accountable for shooting a gun, that it is the parents fault for having a gun in the house. If the child is old enough to understand that a gun can kill someone, then they are old enough to have life in prison for killing someone. "Cruel and unusual punishment" can be defined when a child is being put in prison for life if he or she steals an item. Stealing is a problem, yes, but the child should have classes and should be punished accordingly for the crime. In my opinion if a child has the knowledge to be able to murder someone then he or she should be punished accordingly. In some cases life imprisonment can be "cruel and unusual punishment", but if you can not do the time, then don't do the crime.
ReplyDelete- Lacey Rowe
In cir taint situations I believe life in prison for juveniles is not cruel and unusual punishment. If someone kills another person and its 100% certainty that it was not in self defense I believe even a juvenile should get the death penalty. The way I look at it is if you would kill someone at 15 you could do it again at 22. It takes a lot to kill someone and I don't believe maturity has anything to do with murder. Now in any other instance than murder I believe life in prison for juveniles is cruel and unusual.
ReplyDelete-Ryan N Black
I believe that when discussing the topic of juveniles serving life in imprisonment being referred to as "cruel and unusual" punishment it seriously depends on a lot of factors. One of the factors would be the age of the child and whether or not they are truly old enough to understand their crime. The next factor depends on the actual crime they committed and whether or not the child has a mental illness that contributed to their crime. Yes I believe if you do the crime you do the time but I also think that prison is not always the best solution to the situation. For some situations a more appropriate solution would be sending that juvenile to counseling or a mental institution. This goes for not only juveniles but for adults as well. Unless the person comes out an says yes I did it, I know I did it, and I will do it again there is a deeper meaning behind their crime and life imprisonment would be something like cruel and usual punishment because they won't receive the help they need.
ReplyDelete-A'zsha Holmes
I believe that depending on the juvenile that imprisonment can be a form of cruel and unusual punishment. I believe that if that juvenile is aware of what they did and they did it knowing what the consequences would be in the end that they should be treated like an adult. There should be no excuse for letting that juvenile leave or whatever else due to any reason unless it happened when the child was at a younger age and was not really aware of what was going on. If they were trying to protect a family member, yes that child should go to the detention center or where ever he or she is needed to go but everyone deserves a second chance. When you start seeing improvement in the juvenile they should be kept at that location until the staff feelings like they are safe. All of the defenses depend on the age that the crime was committed. If they were like 14 or under then I believe that they should not be put in prison for life. I feel like that is not a mature age to make a responsible decision. Juveniles are children. They are not adults. The majority of people don’t start maturing until around the age of 18. Some later than that. So depending on the age, the crime and when It happened I believe that not all juveniles should be imprisoned for life.
ReplyDelete-Ekrema Lilic
I believe life imprisonment is out of the question for minors. Most people under the age of 18 are still very immature and while they may act like they know everything and think they are mature, they are not. They have not gone through any true challenges to realize where they are at in their life. If a minor is to commit such an act that they are to go to jail then they are definitely not mature enough to understand complete consequences for their actions. Life imprisonment is taking the consequences way too far. Whatever the reason for imprisonment is, they should go to jail for a certain period of time, but be on probation for an even longer period.
ReplyDeleteMichael Ream
I think that life imprisonment is fair for anyone age 15 and older. I think that by age 15 any person knows what is right and what is wrong. Before age 15, the brain might not be enough developed and can be easily changed. By this i mean that a person younger than 15 could be easily tricked into doing something and actually believe that its not wrong. Also, anyone age 15 and older who has been given life in prison must have done something very bad. That means that its probably not going to be a time when that person can be a normal citizen. Someone who commits a horrible crime that early in their life has clearly been mentally corrupted as a child. That makes it a thousand times harder to change that person into the normal mindset of a normal person.
ReplyDeleteI think life imprisonment is cruel for a juvenile under the age of 18. I feel children this young should be counseled and reabiltated because they don't really under stand what they even did. A child that has been sentenced for life has most likely been abused in some way or is mentally ill. They probably don't even know what a normal life or normal home is. There are so many problems in peoples lives now and children is being neglected or abused all the time. Maybe not physically but mentally. Peoples lives are so busy that don't have time to spend with their children any more. That's why I feel if these children are worked with they can become productive individuals and be a part of this community. Or if they are mentally ill that they could be treated with medicine and therapy so they can have a better life. Brenda Krauss
ReplyDeleteGot it!
ReplyDelete9 of you said life in prison was unequivocally "cruel and unusual" punishment. 14 of you said it depends on the age, the crime and other circumstances. Only 2 of you said essentially "you do the crime, you do the time...no exceptions".
ReplyDeleteDevonn Ferguson
ReplyDeleteI believe most kids shouldn't ever get life in prison because their brains haven't developed completely or matured to know every right and wrong thing. But, at a certain age and certain crimes should be look at for life with parole because something they have to learn whether it's the hard way or not. They just have to get a parole after a certain amount of years.
Dartaysha Amos
ReplyDeleteI think that life in prison for juveniles can be considered cruel and unusual punishment. I believe that this is cruel and unusual punishment because at a very young age they aren't aware of the serious consequences that may follow when they commit these serious crimes. Of course they know if they steal candy from the store or get a bad note sent home from school that they may be on punishment but not for the rest of their lives. I believe that this will destroy them mentally. I think if that if they commit a serious crime such as murder then they should be sent away until they are the age of 21, then I believe that they should be rehabilitated and go through classes such as family conseling and anger management. I believe that family conseling can help because that may be the reason that the juvenile committed the crime in the first place the lack of love and affection from their family members. This will later help them become a part of society.
Valerie Boone
ReplyDeleteI do believe that life imprisonment for juveniles is considered cruel and unusual. However, the nature of the crime should be a major deciding factor as to the length of their sentence and if they are eligible for parole. I feel that many juveniles do not consider the legality or seriousness of the crime as they are committing it. Murders are one of the few crimes that could be committed that sway my opinion. The option of parole should be open, but if the youth confessed and had a full awareness of the situation, they should be tried as an adult. A form of punishment for any crime should match the severity of the said crime. I do fully believe that juveniles sentenced to life in prison is “totally rejected throughout society”.
As a rule,I believe that life imprisonment for juveniles fits the criteria for cruel and unusual punishment. Especially for younger offenders, do they posses the necessary mental understanding of what they have done? It could be argued that even older juveniles are not yet sufficently mature, and are therefore more likely to engage in ill advised activites, without fully considering the consequences of their actions. Are the best intrests of society served by the life imprisonment of youths? Because of their young age, they are far more impressonable than the hardned adults in the system, might not their-and the state's- intrests be better served by some form of rehabilatation?
ReplyDeleteZachary Gallagher
I believe that life in prison for a juvenile can be considered cruel and unusual punishment and at the same time it can be fare too. I firmly believe the saying an eye for an eye, but if the system worked that way we would be no better than a third world country. The only reason that I can think of for a juvenile to be put into prison for life is if they attempted to kill or did kill someone. I myself was a juvenile not too long ago and I remember simply thinking differently because juveniles simply just don’t think like an adult should. What I am saying is juvials will make mistakes and unless it puts someone’s life in japery I firmly believe they should be given just one more chance. All in all juveniles just do they don’t think that just act, so again I do not believe that unless someone is killed a juvenile should never be sentenced to life in prison.
ReplyDeleteRyan Black
I believe that children shouldn’t get life imprisonment. I think ages 15 through 17 should get life in prison with or without parole based on the crime committed. The program is like a boarder school that helps them to improve their behaviors. They go to school and have a curfew. The program will allow them to prove themselves to function in society. If they accomplish the requirements, there record will be clear. Those who do not want to make improvement will be sent to a prison when they turn 18 years old. The ages 14 and below should have to go to rehab until 15 then sent to the boarding school.
ReplyDeleteI believe that children shouldn’t get life imprisonment. I think ages 15 through 17 should get life in prison with or without parole based on the crime committed. The program is like a boarder school that helps them to improve their behaviors. They go to school and have a curfew. The program will allow them to prove themselves to function in society. If they accomplish the requirements, there record will be clear. Those who do not want to make improvement will be sent to a prison when they turn 18 years old. The ages 14 and below should have to go to rehab until 15 then sent to the boarding school.
ReplyDeleteMaya Lyn