Should Juveniles Be Sentenced To Life In Prison Analysis

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Should juveniles be sentenced to life in prison? The decision of whether young kids should be tried in juvenile courts or adult courts has created a lot of arguments. Justice Elena Kagan asserts that mandatory life without parole for a juvenile precludes consideration of his chronological age. Justice Alito disagrees and discusses that a 17 year old who sets off a bomb is a child and must be given a chance to persuade a judge to permit his release into society. I believe that juveniles should not be sentenced to life in prison because being charged with adult sentences is a very harsh punishment considering their age.

Is there a certain age limit for establishing juveniles into the adult justice system? When you look at these cases of these young criminals, most of them come from single parents or bad environments. With help of the juvenile justice system these kids can make a big turn into a much better adulthood. In the article, Starting finds on teenage brains published Friday, May 25, 2001 by Paul Thompson points
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When kids are sentenced to life in prison they are more likely to commit suicide and physical assault. In the article, Juveniles don't deserve life sentences published March 14, 2012 by Gail Garinger discusses that brain imaging studies reveal that the regions of the adolescent brain responsible for controlling thoughts, actions, and emotions are not fully developed. Garinger also points out that the same malleability that makes them vulnerable to peer pressure also makes them promising candidates for rehabilitation. I believe that these kids are not mentally stable and are different to adults who have capacity and awareness to their actions. Garinger also mentioned that the unintended consequence of these laws was that children as young as 13 and 14 who were charged as adults became subject to life without parole