Since crime is not age specific, there are chances that underage children may be involved in criminal activities. As a result, the U.S. justice system had to make arrangements to accommodate juvenile offenders and ensure that they are rehabilitated and reabsorbed into the society. The juvenile system accommodates offenders under the age of 18 years. Previously, the system was not perfect and it was clear to the stakeholders that reforms were needed to ensure that the underage offenders have a high chance of reforming, rather than imposing punitive punishment and conditions that only ended up to promote a continuous cycle of violence ( Gaines & Miller, 2019.) . This paper will analyze two landmark cases, namely, Roper v. Simmons (2005) and Graham v. Florida (2010) and how they have changed how the criminal justice system in the U.S. operates.
In Roper v. Simmons (2005), the Supreme Court ruled that it was against the constitution to enforce capital punishment for juvenile offenders. The opinion of the court was based on the eighth amendment which offered citizen protection against unusual and cruel punishment. The court considered the evolving standard of decency and concluded that it was cruel to execute an individual under 18 years at a time when the murder was committed. The ruling judge, Justice Kennedy based the decision on several scientific and sociological research findings (Lane, 2005). The studies revealed that juveniles lacked the sense of responsibility and maturity shown by adults. Therefore, they cannot be treated like adults when they are involved in indiscretions, particularly capital offenses. Statistics showed that adolescents were overrepresented in most categories of reckless behavior. The society was aware of the immature nature of juveniles and hence they were restricted from marrying without consent, serving on juries, and voting. This was a testament that they could not be treated as adults just because they have committed a capital offense. Juveniles are prone to outside pressure and had less freedom to break free from criminogenic settings. The implication of the ruling was significant, particularly in the death row. The decisions resulted in the cancelation of 72 death sentences that involved juvenile convicts. Before the landmark ruling, 22 juveniles were executed since the late 1900s and a majority of the executions were confined to Texas (Lane, 2005).
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Another case that was influential was Graham v. Florida in 2010. The court concluded that underage offenders were not legible for life sentences without parole if they were convicted for non-homicidal crimes ( Lauren, 2009) . The court argued that the constitution does not support the sentence of life imprisonment, without a possibility of parole for crimes which were non-homicidal. Since the ruling was retroactive, some cases were reviewed using the new legal standard.
In conclusion, since crime is not a preserve of adults, the legal system has to ensure that it has the right systems to rehabilitate and reform underage offenders. Prior to the landmark cases Roper v. Simmons (2005) and Graham v. Florida (2010), juvenile offenders were subjected to cruel and unjust treatment. However, these landmark cases shaped the future of the justice, particularly for juvenile offenders. Given that juveniles were considered to be immature to vote or marry, it was a double standard to sentence them as adults. Therefore, the two rulings ensure that juvenile offenders were rehabilitated by declaring capital punishment and life imprisonment unconstitutional. These rulings contributed to the reforms made in the juvenile system in the recent past, and have encouraged judges and lawmakers to continue analyzing how the juvenile system can be more effective and humane.
References
Gaines, L. K., & Miller, R. L. R. (2019). Criminal justice in action . Boston, MA: Wadsworth.
Lane, C. (2005) 5-4 Supreme Court Abolishes Juvenile Executions The Washington Post .
Lauren, F. (2009), "Death Behind Bars: Examining Juvenile Life without parole in Sullivan v. Florida and Graham v. Florida " , Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy Sidebar , 5 : 24–44
