Sentencing Juvenile Offenders to Life Article Critique

When a lawyer who has never been disciplined represents a juvenile, chances of accepting a plea are high. This is because the lawyer is likely to negotiate for a lesser sentence (Grigorenko, 2012).

The current juvenile court system allows youth offenders to be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. This is like declaring these youths as people who are irredeemable. Evidently, youths have the capability to change. Moreover, a system that allows them to change must be set up by considering their age. Children cannot be compared to adults, thus must be treated in a context that holds young people accountable. In the article, experts are urging lawmakers to review the life without parole sentence given to juveniles such that it should allow public hearings after every four years. In addition, they support parole procedures to be reviewed for youth offenders serving life imprisonment (Sarat, 2009).

It is extremely unusual and cruel to give a mandatory life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, to a juvenile. This decision has followed decisions made by other courts that have reduced punishments given to youth offenders. However, it seems that this case is different. Such punishment had been prohibited by previous cases under any circumstances. It is impossible to have a mandatory sentence. In a case involving a 12-year-old who had been sentenced to a mandatory life imprisonment: the Supreme Court ruled out that the sentence was unconstitutional. Further, other cases had indicated that according to the constitution, children are different form adults concerning sentencing. Youths have great prospects of reforming and accepting to change (Welsh & Siegel, 2011).

A life imprisonment without parole is like treating a juvenile like an adult offender. This is violating the constitution because it says that severe penalties should not be imposed on juveniles because they are children. This means that the mandatory life imprisonment of juveniles without an opportunity for parole has been forbidden. Imposition of a death penalty on crimes committed by juveniles is unusual and cruel. The government should never impose life imprisonment without parole on youth offenders. It is unconstitutional to impose a death sentence in any circumstance, to a crime committed by a juvenile. Rather, the courts should hold such sentences, but it should not be mandatory. This will require changes in the juvenile court system and resolve the prevailing difficulties. First, the prosecutors must advocate for a sentence of life imprisonment with parole for crimes committed by juveniles (Sarat, 2009).

References

Grigorenko, E. (2012). Handbook of Juvenile Forensic Psychology and Psychiatry. California:

Springer

Researcher CQ (2011). Childhood and Adolescence in Society: Selections from CQ Researcher.

New York: SAGE

Sarat, a. (2009). When Law Fails: Making Sense of Miscarriages of Justice. West Sussex: NYU

Press

Steib, V. (2011). State of Criminal Justice 2007-2008. Michigan:…