Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Teen Executions...
Resulting in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to execute juvenile perpetrators, citing violation on the 8th Amendment on cruel and unusual punishment. The death penalty should only be applied to those aged 18 and older.
I am sure this decision has been received with mixed reactions by the general public. I'm not so sure where I stand on this. I know there are some juveniles who have committed or will commit some horrible crimes and appropriate punishment needs to be meted out.
I guess I have mixed feelings about the death penalty being applied to those only 18 y/o and older. To me, that's like saying that those 17 years old and younger do not know the difference between right and wrong. The hell with that, they know what they're doing and they know that their actions bring consequences. Maybe I'm reading too much into this. However, I am curious if there will be more horrendous crimes committed by juveniles, due to this "protection".
I wonder what Beccaria and Bentham, "fathers" of criminology theories, would say about this.
As a result of this, prosecutors have decided to cease additional trials against Lee Boyd Malvo, citing unnecessary expense. He is already serving life in prison.
What do you think?
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I am sure this decision has been received with mixed reactions by the general public. I'm not so sure where I stand on this. I know there are some juveniles who have committed or will commit some horrible crimes and appropriate punishment needs to be meted out.
I guess I have mixed feelings about the death penalty being applied to those only 18 y/o and older. To me, that's like saying that those 17 years old and younger do not know the difference between right and wrong. The hell with that, they know what they're doing and they know that their actions bring consequences. Maybe I'm reading too much into this. However, I am curious if there will be more horrendous crimes committed by juveniles, due to this "protection".
I wonder what Beccaria and Bentham, "fathers" of criminology theories, would say about this.
As a result of this, prosecutors have decided to cease additional trials against Lee Boyd Malvo, citing unnecessary expense. He is already serving life in prison.
What do you think?
|
