Parole for Juveniles
Name
Institution
Parole for Juveniles
The suitability of life imprisonment without parole for juveniles who have not committed murder has continued to be the subject of deep debate. The debate has centered on whether minors are too young to assume full adult accountability for a crime. Some have also questioned whether this kind of punishment is compatible with the doctrines on which the juvenile justice system was set up to offer treatment, rehabilitative services, and programs formulated to avert future involvement in law-breaking conduct.
Those who support life without parole argue that this punishment is necessary to deter crimes. This means that such a sentence will discourage other minors from engaging in crimes for fear of going to jail for life. After all, unlike the death penalty, life without parole is more humane. The offender is given a chance to live despite their criminal actions. Another argument for life without parole is that it will help in maintaining public safety. When juveniles found culpable of committing crimes are put away for life, the public gets a sense of safety.
One of the arguments against life without parole is that juveniles’ immaturity decreases their culpability, as does their vulnerability to external influences and pressures. According to Cleary (2017), new brain science indicates that the brain’s vital areas that pertain to judgment and consequential thinking do not mature until the mid-twenties. This is what makes them vulnerable to external influences. Another argument against life without parole is that juveniles have an increased capacity for reform. Therefore, they have a right to a separate set of punishments. Besides, the changing standards of decency among Americans have demonstrated life without parole for minors to be cruel and unusual.
Reference
Cleary, H. (2017). Applying the lessons of developmental psychology to the study of juvenile
interrogations: New directions for research, policy, and practice. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 23(1), 118.
