Jewel Jorgensen

Mrs. Di Somma

ERWC

08 March 2017

Minors are Minors

Murder is a subject most people dont wish to talk about, but when someone is personally

involved, the judge or jury has to deal with it. The severity a judge or jury deciding on what the

punishment should be, is something he/she has to take in full account of the persons background

and difficulties. The type of persons I will be focusing on are minors who have committed

murder. In my opinion, I strongly believe the court should not allow a minor or juvenile

sentenced to life in prison.

One reason on why a minor or juvenile shouldnt be sentenced to life in prison, even why

they commit murder, is because I believe everyone deserves a second chance if they want to

redeem themselves from their mistakes. Sometimes people dont have full control over their

actions or emotions and act out impulsively; in fact, the frontal lobes, which inhibit our violent

passions, rash actions, and regulate our emotions, are vastly immature throughout the teenage

years (Thompson). Showing how teenagers, since they are not yet developed, have even more

trouble in controlling their emotions and actions, which would show the reason why there are so

many teenagers being sent to jail. Yet, this isnt saying that juveniles should be let-off every time

they commit a crime, but having ever-younger kids and ramming them into the adult system

destroys everything that the juvenile system is all about (Lundstrom). If you push a child who
maybe 12 years old, who committed murder, through the adult system into a life sentence, what

happens then to the childs brain psychologically? For instance, since the system sentenced

Lionel Tate, a 12 year old boy, with a life in prison with first-degree murder, how does a child

that young go through life (Lundstrom)? Technically speaking, its suspicious that the system

would sentence the child that probably didnt know better, and the fact that he was only 12 years

old, most likely didnt organize and plan to wrestle-to-death a 6 year old girl. Perspectives are

important things that could save or kill a life. Now there are some implications that would

oppose everything Ive said, where someone like Brazill, said he made a stupid mistake, but

prosecutors argued that by bringing a gun to school he planned the crime (Thompson). True,

someone bringing a gun to school is very suspicious, but the system should also consider

Brazills background and personal struggles to decide if he really planned to kill his English

teacher with intent. If put in a parents view, seeing a child as young as 12 being sentenced to life

in prison for murder, anyone would want to give that child a second chance, to redeem

themselves if they truly wanted to make up for their crime.

Another reason why sentencing a minor or juvenile to life from murder is a poor decision

and should not be allowed, is because of the future the juvenile justice system would be

providing them. In reason, after 2010, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the juvenile life

sentences illegal for crimes less than murder of more than 2,500 inmates sentenced to life as

children, 128 now have a chance to obtain release (15). There are still more than 2,300 inmates

still sentenced to life, who do not have a chance. When having so many inmates sentenced to life

as children, research suggests that adolescents squeezed through the adult system are more

likely to come out as violent criminals than similar kids handled on the juvenile side
(Lundstrom). Further proving the fact that putting a minor or juvenile into the adult system

would give them a less than happy future with a gang or worse. Furthermore, a study showed

how 88% of juveniles between the ages of 14-17 were convicted, with 17 years old being the

majority (Harris). In these teenage years, most teens are trying to figure out who they want to be

as they grow up, even those who cant afford to. Putting juveniles into the adult system, would

give them an even higher chance of being sentenced to adult prison, which would end up

dramatically influencing them into coming out worse than they came in (Harris). This creates a

situation that neither the juvenile or adult justice system can do about it since they are the ones

who put them in a negative environment where they will grow up essentially being influenced by

far worse, and come out as murders and criminals. When putting a minor or juvenile into the

adult system, the systems should first notice how much it would impact the boy or girl.

Last reason for not sentencing a minor or juvenile to a life sentence from murder is

because of the numerous facts of why it is a horrible idea. In fact, of all the minors or juveniles

who were convicted of murder, 4.1% (17 of 416) court depositions were at the age of 14; 12%

(50) at 15 years old; 29.8% (124) at 16 years old; and 54.1% (225) at 17 years old (Harris).

Showing how many minors are being thrown into the adult system and how it will dramatically

impact their lives for the future since they are at such young ages. Another statistic is how 59.6%

(218 of 366) convictions received, were sentenced to adult prison; 3% (11) got probation; 31.1%

(114) got probation with jail; 3.8% (14) got jail (Harris). This gives more of a perspective of the

amount of minors and juveniles that were convicted. Majority did get probation with jail, yet

3.8% still got jail time for their crimes. The point is that there are still some minors or juveniles

who dont receive fair sentences. Now, of all these minors and juveniles, 69.2% of 14 year olds,
45.5% of 15 year olds, 64.8% of 16 year olds, and 59.3% of 17 year olds, end up in adult prison

from murder (Harris). Having majority of 14 year olds going to adult prison for murder is

unacceptable since they they are far too young and it be as if putting a bunch of mice in a den of

snakes. Since their minds are far still too immature, they would most likely to be even more

influenced by the adults in adult prison, and if they put them in isolation, then how would they

even be allowed to improve. As an ending quote, that should be spoken to the justice systems

regularly, the United States is the only country in the world that condemns children to die in

prison (15). Furthermore providing reasons to why America has so many people, both adults

and juveniles, in prisons for life,m while the government could use that money and resources for

better use. Overall, putting juveniles as young as 14 years old and younger into prison for life, is

proven by multiple facts and statistics to not be beneficial for anyone in the United States.

All in all, I still strongly believe that sentencing minors and juveniles to life in prison

should be outlawed in the justice systems. From going to how sending minors to prison at such a

young age can psychologically damage them worse than they entered, to how the justice system

was destroying their future, and ending with how facts and statistics further prove the point of

how it is a bad idea and how many young teenagers are being sent to adult prison. Overall, dont

box them into a corner to further bring down the society that everyone lives in.
 Works Cited

15 to Life: Kenneths Story. Directed by Nadine Pequeneza, 13 April 2014.

Harris, Kamala. California Department of Justice, California Justice Information Services

Division, Bureau of Criminal Information and Analysis, Criminal Justice Statistics

Center. Juvenile Justice in California. 2015.

Lundstrom, Marjie. Kids Are Kids-- Until They Commit Crimes. Expository Reading and

Writing Course. California State University Press. Print. (87-88).

Thompson, Paul. Startling Finds on Teenage Brains. Expository Reading and Writing Course.

California State University Press. Print. (89-90).