Supreme Court Has Recently Ruled Term Paper

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These could be considered mitigating psychological factors. It also supports the argument that extra efforts at remediation that might not be appropriate with hardened criminals might be appropriate for younger offenders.

While youthful offenders will no longer be sentenced to death, the courts have not had their hands completely tied. They can still be tried as adults, and even a very young offender can be sentenced to life without possibility of parole (Fresno Bee, 2005). Meanwhile, it might help to keep juvenile crime in perspective. While the media sometimes make it sound as if juvenile crime is a major problem, 92% of all homicide arrests come from four major cities: Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York. Juvenile homicide is not common in most parts of the country (Howard, 1998). In addition, overall, juvenile crime of all kinds has decreased between 1972 and 1995, during a period of time when juvenile policies tended to be more lenient (Howard, 1998).
It stands to reason that youth who do not think before they act will not consider punishment before they commit a crime; "getting tough on crime" may make no difference to immature individuals.

Because crimes can be committed by people whose minds are not yet fully developed, it makes sense to consider the psychology of youthful offenders before they become hardened criminals. This does not mean we as a society have to give a pat on the hand and a kiss on the head to teen murderers; but it may mean that they may some day lead a more productive life, depending on how we handle them after a crime has been committed.

SOURCES

Fresno Bee. 2005. "Sparing juveniles Supreme Court bans executions of children in the name of decency."

The Fresno Bee (Fresno, CA), March 4.

Howard, Matthew O. 1998. "Youth crime, public policy, and practice in the juvenile justice system: recent trends and needed reforms.".....

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