Death Penalty

How would you feel if one of you family members were killed? Not only were they killed but they were under 18 and it was because of a crime they had committed. These are some of the questions average citizen answer every day when a juvenile is sentenced to death. Some people might say they dissevered it or it should not be allowed except, what we do not understand is how they feel as a victim of crime and how it feels to be the family of a criminal. However this would be much more rational if instead of capital punishment being set to specific crimes, it was considered on a case to case bases. Different factors play a role in each crime and in we will find out what these factors are and how they can completely separate each case from one another.

When it comes to juveniles and the justice system something always seem to be unfair and this is seen much more when the death penalty is involves. Most people feel as if no matter what crime is committed a youth should never parish for it, but in the eyes of a victim any punishment seems to be deserved. Although since every case is different death penalty should not be set as the punishment for murder, some believe "the Court should not group all juvenile murderers into a single class; instead, juveniles should be given individual consideration and evaluated on their particular maturity level, intelligence, life experiences, and feelings of moral responsibility" (Cutrer, Dan). This judgment separates shows different aspects play a role in every crime and how dynamic a person's thinking has to be in order to show a balance in their conclusion of a case.

The minds of juveniles should also participate in how a youth is sentenced, it was found that a lack brain development makes juveniles less more culpable than adults. Even though lack of brain development is not an excuse it does play a role in the way juveniles are thinking when a crime is committed. Unlike adults "the underdevelopment of the frontal lobe makes adolescents more prone to react with 'gut instinct'" (Ortiz, Adam) and this shows not all decisions made by teens are thought through long enough to think about the consequences. Furthermore the thought process of a juvenile makes the death penalty in some cases seem unjust.

Unlike most some people feel age should not play a role in whether or not a person is sentenced death, neither should their brain development. Certain people think "Kids must no longer have a free ride until