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Kristina Mercado
Mrs. DiSomma
ERWC Period 2
7 March 2017
Sorry?
Life in jail seems and is a very long time. Depending on the crime, years can vary, but I
certainly have an opinion on how long a punishment should be for committing murder. I disagree
with the 2012 supreme court decision of not sentencing a juvenile life in prison.
When people hear that a child committed a crime, some believe that they do not deserve
life in prison. But what if its murder? This seems wrong, and someone should receive a
punishment equal to what they have committed. Those who agree believe that they cannot be
held to the same standards when they commit terrible wrongs (Garinger). People may give the
whole explanation about brain research and how it is undeveloped, but can this really be given as
an excuse? Though research can help us understand teens better, it does not serve as an
excuse for killing someone (Thompson). Even though they can come off as less mature, and
more vulnerable to peer pressure, immaturity follows some people throughout their whole life
(Garinger).
We need to keep in mind the horrible crimes these prisoners have committed. These
violent actions can follow them when they are in adult prison or when they are released. Adults
that are still in prison from a young age, still come off as violent and in times actually follow
through and beat one another to death while locked up (Young). If we let these children out, what
some people may not know is that juvenile offenders tend to become repeat violent offenders and
continue actions they did before their time in prison (Jenkins). Children are not as innocent as we
Mercado 2
make them to be in our heads. Theres a greater percentage of juveniles under the age of 12,
serving time for assault than there are adults (Harris). Statistics are continuing to show that
juveniles under the age of 12 will be referred again in their 18-24 years (Harris).
Going back to what was said earlier about the brain, it is not the reason for excuses. If the
brain of a juvenile was the reason then teens would kill at roughly the same rate all over the
world (Jenkins). But that is not the case. Instead we are experiencing a lot of absurd juvenile
action here in this country. When we watch documentaries with juveniles stories, some may start
to feel sympathetic towards the person. A young 12 year old named Paul helped a friend kill their
stepfather (Young). That friend named Colt, received life in prison while Paul over here is only
receiving 25 years in prison. Even though he helped, he was still a part of the killing and should
receive the same consequence as his friend Colt. We need to remember the crime that was done.
Not the innocent sounding child who is sorry for what they did. Consistently movies and
articles dont talk about the crime facts, just the poor children in prison (Jenkins). Murder cases
should be handled very carefully and give people the right sentence, which is life in prison.
Brazill was 14 when he shot his teacher (Thompson). He was very aware of what he was doing
and had no meaning behind it. It is this type of behavior that needs to stop and be prevented from
happening again. Thrill Killing is happening more and more. We need to keep these people who
are wanting to kill just to see what it feels like away from others (Jenkins).
As you can see, children should be given a life sentence in prison for muder. They need to
serve the punishment they deserve for taking a life away. Knowing these facts have led me to
Works Cited
Garinger, Gail. Juvenile Dont Deserve Life Sentences. New York Times, 14 March 2012.
Print.
(93-94).
Harris, Kamala. Juvenile Justice in California. California Department of Justice, 2015. (1-113).
Jenkins, Jennifer. On Punishment and Teen Killers. Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, 2
August
Thompson, Paul. Startling Finds on Teenage Brains. Sacramento Bee, 25 May 2001. Print. (89-
90).
Young Kids Hard Times. youtube.com. Calamari Productions, web. 21 February 2017.