Juveniles Should Not Be Sentenced To Life In Prison

In 2012 on June 25, the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles who committed murder could not be sentenced to life in prison because it violated the 8th amendment of no cruel or unusual punishment. Many juveniles who commit murder are sentenced to life in prison, but is this sentence unjust? Juveniles do not need life imprisonment so the Supreme Court made the proper decision to the ruling, life in prison for juveniles, is unconstitutional. Many juveniles commit murder because of their immature or adolescent mind. As stated by Greg Ousley, who killed his parents with a 12 gauge shotgun at age 15, “‘I had been thinking about killing them every time I get mad… Please don’t tell my family” (Jenkins 96). Greg as a child grew up without parent support which led to him thinking that he is the center of the universe. By so, Greg never viewed the …show more content…
Thompson stated in paragraph 7 that, “Grey matter, which brain researchers believe supports all our thinking and emotions, is purged at a rate of 1 percent to 2 percent a year during this period.” Throughout the brain, the brain tissues loss, controls a person’s impulsive, which can lead to a victim dying; therefore, the murderer must be innocent, right? No, even if the murderer commit murder, the murderer should know that taking a life is undeniably wrong as the brain is not 100% infantile. According to “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences”, “‘...juvenile offenders cannot with reliability be classified among the worst offenders”: they are less mature, more vulnerable to peer pressure…” (Garinger 51). Juveniles are more vulnerable to peer pressure compared to adults and sometimes are forced into committing crimes. Even so, the juvenile is still committing the crime when knowing what is right or wrong. Thus, it is not justified to use thee decreasing brain tissue and peer pressure as

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Juveniles Should Not Be Sentenced To Life In Prison