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The Race Factor in Trying Juveniles as Adults

By Jennifer L. Eberhardt & Aneeta Rattan
2012

Jennifer L. Eberhardt and Aneeta Rattan conduct research in the field of psychology. In this text, they discuss
the role race plays in the sentencing of juvenile offenders.

[1] Americans have accepted that juveniles are

different from adults. Scientists confirm this,
showing that there are significant differences in
reasoning abilities, impulse control, and
neurological development. Courts across the
country have separate justice systems for most
juvenile suspects, and in 2005 the Supreme Court
said that even if tried as an adult, a juvenile
cannot be sentenced to death.

Now the justices are again grappling with how to

punish juveniles for serious crimes. For the
"Police Stop" by Thomas Hawk is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
second time in two years, they are poised to rule
on the constitutionality of sentencing juveniles to
life in prison with no possibility of parole.

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But as our society has scrutinized this line between juvenile and adult, there has been little discussion
of how race might influence people’s perceptions of juvenile status, despite widespread and
substantial racial disparities in juvenile sentencing. Consider Florida, which is the state that had most
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often assigned juveniles life without parole sentences in cases other than homicide. As of 2009, 84%
of the juvenile offenders who received this sentence were African American.

In our own work, we find that race can have a sweeping effect even when people consider the same
crime. Prompting people to think of a single black (rather than white) juvenile offender leads them to
express greater support for sentencing all juveniles to life without parole when they have committed
serious, violent crimes. Thinking about a black juvenile offender also makes people imagine that
juveniles are closer to adults in their blameworthiness. Remarkably, this was true for both people who
were low in prejudice and those who were high in prejudice and for both liberals and conservatives.

[5] Thus, race has the power to dampen our desire to be merciful. This is why race must be considered in
discussions about how we protect juveniles and what punishments are deemed appropriate for them.
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Though often overlooked, perhaps race is key to helping us understand people’s support for punitive
policies more generally.

1. Scrutinize (verb): to examine something carefully

2. the temporary or permanent release of a prisoner from prison before the end of their sentence
3. Punitive (adjective): inflicted or intended as punishment

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“The Race Factor in Trying Juveniles as Adults” from The New York Times by Jennifer L. Eberhardt and Aneeta Rattan. Copyright © 2012 by The
New York Times Company. Used by permission of Publisher. All rights reserved.

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 Text-Dependent Questions
Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: Which statement identifies the central idea of the text?

A. Courts should not be able to send juvenile offenders to prison without parole, as
judges can’t be racially unbiased.
B. Juvenile offenders shouldn’t be sentenced to life in prison without parole, as it’s
been established that they aren’t as mentally developed as adults.
C. Judges shouldn’t be influenced by offenders’ race, age, or gender when
sentencing them for serious or violent crimes.
D. When trying juveniles as adults, people are more likely to support harsh,
permanent sentences for young black offenders because of a tendency to view
them as more blameworthy for their crimes.

2. PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “Americans have accepted that juveniles are different from adults. Scientists
confirm this, showing that there are significant differences in reasoning abilities,
impulse control and neurological development.” (Paragraph 1)
B. “For the second time in two years, they are poised to rule on the
constitutionality of sentencing juveniles to life in prison with no possibility of
parole.” (Paragraph 2)
C. “Prompting people to think of a single black (rather than white) juvenile offender
leads them to express greater support for sentencing all juveniles to life without
parole when they have committed serious violent crimes.” (Paragraph 4)
D. “This is why race must be considered in discussions about how we protect
juveniles and what punishments are deemed appropriate for them.” (Paragraph
5)

3. Which of the following describes the authors’ purpose in the text?

A. to emphasize the damaging effects of sentencing juvenile offenders to life
without parole
B. to show why it’s important to consider the impacts of race when sentencing
juvenile offenders
C. to highlight how differently adult and juvenile offenders are treated in the
system
D. to show how the justice system is evolving in how it treats juvenile offenders

4. What connection do the authors draw between their findings and the improvement of
justice for all?
A. The authors suggest that their findings about people being more willing to
sentence black juveniles to life in prison will help abolish life sentences.
B. The authors discuss how greater awareness about the role that race plays in
punishing juveniles could lead to fairer sentencing.
C. The authors’ findings about how people judge juvenile offenders will help courts
build a network of unbiased judges and juries.
D. The authors suggest that their findings will contribute to the resentencing of
juvenile offenders who received lenient sentences because of their race.

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5. How do the authors develop their analysis about the sentencing of black juvenile offenders?

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 Discussion Questions
Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to
share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. In the text, the authors discuss how juvenile offenders are more likely to be sentenced to
life in prison if they’re black. What do you think can be done to combat racial biases in the
justice system to ensure that juvenile offenders are tried and sentenced fairly?

2. In the text, the authors discuss the decision of whether or not juvenile offenders should be
sentenced to life in prison without parole. What is your opinion on this matter? How does
the statistic provided in the text about how many black juvenile offenders were given life
sentences affect your opinion?