Juvenile Offenders in St Louis Essay

Tags: crack cocaine sexual abuse crime murder

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document

Total Length: 660 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 2

Page 1 of 2

Missouri has seen a rise in African-America juveniles tried as adults. Statistics from 2009 state 64% of the juveniles tried as adults were of African-American descent. This is almost double of the amount in 2001 which was 36%. (Cooper) This brings to light an increase in racial disparity and the nature of prosecution in Missouri. Many of the cases of the African-American juvenile offenders certified as adults are prosecuted in St. Louis. "From 2001 to 2009, St. Louis certified 39% of the black juveniles prosecuted as adults statewide. St. Louis County accounted for 29%." (Cooper)



One such case is Ledale Nathan Jr. At the age of 16, Nathan and an accomplice broke into a house in St. Louis' LaSalle Park neighborhood back in October of 2009. Nathan killed a 34-year-old woman by the name of Gina Stallis and wounded a firefighter and off-duty city police officer. His conviction resulted in life without parole. However, a 2012 ruling made it so Nathan could receive a review of his conviction. "When he was convicted of first-degree murder in 2011, life without parole was his only option. But in June 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Miller v. Alabama that an automatic life sentence for a juvenile was unconstitutional.

Stuck Writing Your "Juvenile Offenders in St Louis" Essay?

View All Our Example Juvenile Offenders in St Louis Essay

Have A Custom Example Essay Written

" (Mann)



Nathan underwent a resentencing after Miller v. Alabama along with another juvenile offender certified as an adult, Javon Adair. While Adair received a reduced sentence, Nathan's case involved careful consideration of whether his sentence was fair and suitable for the nature of his crime. The jury considered Nathan's state of mind when he committed the crime and his background. Three hours into deliberation, they could not reach a unanimous decision. This meant the initial first-degree murder conviction had to be vacated and replaced with a second-degree murder conviction.



Although his initial conviction was replaced with a lesser one, he still faced 75 years in prison for charges unaffected by the Miller v. Alabama ruling. Meaning the new conviction proved fruitless in reducing his overall time spent in prison. The closing arguments from the side of the prosecution stated Nathan acted like a man and should be punished like one. "In closing arguments, Assistant Circuit Attorney Beth Orwick told jurors Nathan was the aggressor. She said he repeatedly threatened to kill the family and pressed a gun against a 78-year-old's forehead." (Mann)

….....

Show More ⇣

     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


Works Cited

Cooper, Kenneth J. "Black Missouri Teens Increasingly Tried Disproportionately As Adults." Center for Public Integrity, The Center for Public Integrity, 10 May 2011, www.publicintegrity.org/2011/05/10/4545/black-missouri-teens-increasingly-tried-disproportionately-adults-0. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017.

Mann, Jennifer S. "Jury Vacates Life Sentence for Teen Killer in St. Louis Home Invasion | Law and Order." Stltoday.com, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 4 June 2014, www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/jury-vacates-life-sentence-for-teen-killer-in-st-louis/article_7da6e51d-4c64-553c-84f5-c6c1066590eb.html. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017.

sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Juvenile Offenders In St Louis" (2017, February 22) Retrieved April 16, 2024, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/juvenile-offenders-st-louis-essay

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Juvenile Offenders In St Louis" 22 February 2017. Web.16 April. 2024. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/juvenile-offenders-st-louis-essay>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Juvenile Offenders In St Louis", 22 February 2017, Accessed.16 April. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/juvenile-offenders-st-louis-essay
   

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document
order custom essay example