Juvenile Life Without Parole Case Study

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The United States stands alone worldwide in sentencing juveniles life without parole. Roper v. Simmons, Graham v. Florida, and Miller v. Alabama are all cases that helped abolished sentencing juveniles life without parole. The reality is that life without parole means sentencing the youth to die in prison. It is one of the harshest penalties that a person can can receive in the United States. In December of 2006 ,the United Nations held a discussion for abolishing life without parole for children and young teenagers. The vote was 185 to 1 and the United States was the only vote in favor of sentencing juveniles life without parole (Agyepong,2010,p.83.). This is becuase United States is the only country in was United States who can sentence juveniles life without parole. In fact, 135 countries have laws directly rejecting sentencing juveniles life without parole and 185 countries did so in the UN General Assembly (Agyepong, 2010, p. 83). The United States is the only country that violates the humans rights standards regarding children sentences.
Roper v. Simmons was used as a counter argument for abolishing juveniles life without parole. In 2005, Roper v. Simmons established that children
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He was charged as an adult. At the trial stage, Simmons confession and videotaped reenactment of the crime was displayed. He was convicted of murder and in the penalty stage he was sentenced to the death penalty. He tried to appeal and petition the sentence but kept getting rejected until the Atkins v. Virginia. Atkins v. Virginia established that the 8th amendment is applicable to states through the 14th amendment prohibited the execution of a mentally retarded person. Therefore, Simmons petitioned that Atkins v. Virginia established that the constitution prohibited the execution of juveniles who committed a crime under the age of