Juvenile Justice

Juvenile Justice Discussion Post
Can you do the discussion post for the question below? Four citations are needed: the two attached handouts, the book attached(Juvenile Justice: A Social, Historical, and Legal Perspective 5th ed), and one peer-reviewed journal article of your choice. I will also attach one PowerPoint presentation to see what the weekly discussion is about, but not for citation purposes. The attached book, on page 195, talks about the Miller v. Alabama case. Can you talk about this in the discussion post?

Question

1. Do you believe in Juvenile Life Without Parole for juvenile offenders?

AI generated the research below on the Miller v. Alabama case, just to give you an idea of what the case was about.
Miller v. Alabama was a landmark Supreme Court case decided in 2012 that significantly impacted juvenile justice in the United States. The case dealt with the constitutionality of mandatory life sentences without parole for juvenile offenders.
The key points of the case are:

1. The Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to impose mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole on offenders who were under 18 at the time of their crimes. According to Equal Justice Initiative, this decision recognized “the unique status of children and their potential for change.”
2. The case involved two separate incidents where 14-year-olds were convicted of murder and automatically sentenced to life without parole, as required by state law at the time. The Court determined that such mandatory sentencing schemes violated the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.
3. The ruling didn’t completely ban life sentences without parole for juveniles, but rather required judges to consider specific factors before imposing such a severe sentence. These factors include:
   o The juvenile’s age and immaturity
   o Their family and home environment
   o The circumstances of the offense, including the juvenile’s role
   o The impact of family and peer pressures
   o The possibility of rehabilitation
   This decision was part of a series of Supreme Court rulings that have recognized that children are constitutionally different from adults in their level of culpability, and that their age should be considered when imposing serious punishments. The Campaign for Fair Sentencing of Youth notes that the ruling was decided by a 5-4 vote, highlighting the controversial nature of the decision at the time.
   The impact of this ruling has been significant, requiring many states to revise their sentencing laws and provide opportunities for review for juveniles who were previously sentenced to mandatory life without parole.