Should a teen ever be sentenced to life in prison? (crime, programs)

[Three Wolves In Snow]

Originally Posted by texan2yankee

Joe Sullivan was sentenced to life for raping an elderly woman. He was 13 at the time of the attack.

Terrance Graham, implicated in several armed robberies when he was 16 and 17, was given a life sentence.

Life sentences with no chance of parole are rare for juveniles tried as adults and convicted of crimes less serious than killing. Just over 100 prison inmates in the United States are serving those terms, according to data compiled by opponents of the sentences.

The Supreme Court is being asked to review if locking up juveniles for life is cruel, unusual and unconstitutional. Other than death penalty cases, the justices have never found that a penalty crossed the cruel and unusual line.

At what age is a life sentence appropriate and why?

I'll be very honest here that I have struggled with this question for a long time.

On one hand, I think they should not because their brains are not fully developed. Their pre-frontal cortex, which governs impulse control, reason and good judgment is not fully developed until around ages 17-20. Do they know right from wrong? Yes. But do they fully understand what they are doing? Do they truly understand the consequences of their actions on another person? Do they understand the suffering of that other person? Do they understand that the other person IS a person? Do they have enough impulse control? Have they fully developed to make good judgments every time? Sitting around and talking about doing something and then saying, "Yah, let's do it!"...is their brain fully developed enough for them to stop and think about their actions and the consequences that follow allowing them to form better judgments and control their impulses?

On the other hand, I think, yes they should be locked up for life for the horrific things they have done to someone else. Do they know right from wrong? Yes? Then they "should have known better". If we give them a "slap on the wrist", does this not stop other teens from working on rational thought, impulse control and thinking about better decisions, making better choices? If a 13 year old rapes someone...should they really get out of prison when they reach adulthood? Did they really learn anything? If they raped someone and spent only 5 years in prison, what is this teaching them? Does this teach them that they can rape again and not face serious consequences for it? Five years for ruining someone's life...even if the rapist was 13, is that really enough time?

I think to how I thought as a teen. No, I did not fully understand all consequences, no, I did not have full control over my impulses, I did a lot of dumb things and no I did not always make good judgments. But I sure never felt inclined to rob someone at gun point or hurt someone badly. I understood they were people. Did I fully understand what my actions had on other people? Not entirely.

And then again, if they spend a large portion of their adult life, their developing adult years behind bars, when they are let out, do they know how to function? Will they be prepared to live in a society that does not give a lot of chances for convicted rapists and robberies? How hard will it be for them? We already know it's difficult enough as it is being a young adult and going out in to the world on our own for the first time without a rap sheet...how much more difficult will it be for the convicted when they get out? Will they be able to find a job, a place to live and adjust to society, having learned their lesson? Will they find it too difficult and commit another crime in order to go back to prison where they "grew up" and know how things work?

It's a tough one. Part of me wants to be understanding and form an opinion based on science and the other part says, "No, they hurt someone, they need to pay!"

Do I believe it is cruel? No. I do not. I just hope that there is a system in place that will help these teens cope when they do get out and are adults. It has to be a very good system. I don't trust that we have that.

Is it unusual? Again, no. Numbers of teens have been incarcerated for serious crimes like rape and several armed robberies well past the age of adulthood.

It is unconstitutional? No. You commit a crime, you go to prison. End of story. How long and when they get parole typically depends on the person themselves when they go before the parole board.

A 13 year old raping an elderly woman...kid needs some serious counseling. Major counseling. And as far as I'm concerned, should not be let out until he has received that counseling and has been reviewed by several psychologists about his ability to work through whatever issues he has and understand, empathize and show compassion towards others as he clearly did not, in this case. If this kid is not properly treated, this kid will get out, eventually, and could do worse.

Armed robbery, several times over, kid has a problem and needs to sit there and think about things for awhile. How long? Repeated offenses tells me he simply doesn't care. But then we go back to the pre-frontal cortex business. Sitting in jail for a long time is going to teach him how to be even slicker about it next time. Not sitting in jail long enough teaches him he can do this and pay a minimal price.

Hard question to answer...for me, anyway. I tend to side on keeping them in there regardless of their age but there is that part of me that wonders because, the truth is, their brains simply are not fully developed and I don't think, in all cases, the kid fully grasps the consequence of their actions. Maybe it should be on a case by case basis...which, I think it is, right now.

[LauraC]

I really don't care about rehabilitation. In fact, if they have life sentences why waste the money? Let them sit in a cell all day with nothing but their thoughts.

Rapists should be jailed with other rapists so they can bleep each other for the rest of their lives.

I'm for sorting criminals in different prisons by their crimes, you know, drug user prison, drug dealer prison, armed robbery prison...with the most severe of their crimes, the one that dictates where they go.

I think no record should be expunged due to age.

[Haakon]

Originally Posted by Caligula1

We just had a double murder happin here the suspect (innocent until proven otherwise) is 16 years old.
Someone told on him that he did do the crime!!

This 16 year old was arrested two weeks prior for Assult with a Handgun and was out of jail on Bond..
Why?? His ass should have been still locked up, Obviously the boy is to blame for killing others.
BUT should the system not be to blame also for letting a person out on bond when he was charged with a firearm crime just two weeks prior??

Throw this kid in Prison, Big boy prison. Then execute him when he turns 18.. Screw a life sentence.

Similar situation happened in Seattle. A teenager was an accessory to beating a man to death, his punishment was several months in juvi, it wasn't long after he was let out that he was arrested again. Police: Tuba Man killer, arrested again, bragged about crime | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News | Local & Regional
Some people just can't be allowed free access to society, since so many are against just killing them life in prison is the only alternative.

[~CountryBoy~]

That's a tricky one. If a teen commit a crime that would send an adult to prison for life without parole, I think they should get the same punishment.

[Nite Ryder]

I don't believe in life sentences. If a person commits a serious crime and knows right from wrong, why should it be up to me to pay for his food the rest of his life? If he is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, execute him, then he is not longer a problem for anyone.

[BuffaloTransplant]

My husband and I taught school. One student we both taught was sent to prison for life at about 18. He had beaten a kid to a pulp and was let out on bail; he had shot a guy and stayed on bail; he finally shot and killed someone and -- surprise -- went to jail for murder. No one in the court system noticed that he was violent and shold have stayed in jail on the first beating charge. Maybe if they had, at least one other person would be around today -- the guy he actually killed wasn't the target. He wasn't the only murderer we taught along our long careers.... and a lot of the kids were shoved through the judicial system with multiple "handslaps" until they finally did something horrible and wound up behind bars for long periods. It isn't only urban youth -- look up: John Justice (Kenmore NY). He was a suburban H.S. honor student who killed his family and a person just in the wrong place at the wrong time. (it was about the mid 1980s)



Systems will fail and the court/penal system does.

[Charles]

What's worse? A teen going to prison for life or a rich guy affording high priced power lawyer and gets off while the poor guy gets the PD and is found guilty?

[donsabi]

Old enough to do the crime...old enough to do the time.

[GregW]

If, by their extream violent criminal action, teens show that they are a danger to society they should be simply taken out and executed.

[tickyul]

Originally Posted by Haakon

Similar situation happened in Seattle. A teenager was an accessory to beating a man to death, his punishment was several months in juvi, it wasn't long after he was let out that he was arrested again. Police: Tuba Man killer, arrested again, bragged about crime | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News | Local & Regional
Some people just can't be allowed free access to society, since so many are against just killing them life in prison is the only alternative.

Yeah, the Tuba Man, a nice guy who brought the joy of music to many people. But hey, the Yutes did not like this man......he needed to be put down. And the kids got what........a few months.....really sad.

Rip Tuba Man and Kris Kime.