Juvenile Offenders with Life Sentences - Research Paper Example

Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that to take a life through a forced confinement for the period of that life is as cruel and unusual for someone who cannot form mature intent as it is to forfeit that life. A proposed study of the effects of this sentence on these offenders will allow for a better understanding of the effects of the imposed consequence of their criminal actions. A review of secondary research provides overwhelming evidence that a moratorium on life sentences without parole is reasonable, Constitutional, and globally supported.

As well, the effects on both the offender and on the community create support for this end to life without parole for these offenders. The proposed study would allow for offenders who have experienced adult prisons with no hope for release to come forward and share their stories with a researcher so that a better understanding of the real-life consequences can be studied and analyzed. The study of children who have been given life sentences within the United States brings to light a great need for further work to be done to realize the full impact of this practice.

There is a glaring gap in the literature concerning juvenile delinquency about the effects of lifelong incarceration on children. The psychological differences between that of an adolescent mind and that of a mature adult have been disregarded where these instances are concerned and heinous consequences have been levied against children due to mandatory minimums and blind justice laws. Because of this neglect, penal institutions are ill-equipped to handle the special needs of an adolescent within the adult prison system, depriving these children of proper care and resources that are necessary for growth.

In creating a study that looks at the experiences of children who have been sentenced to life without parole, the support for the abolition of this practice can be established through real-life experiences. On the other hand, the experiences might also show that life in an adult prison for these offenders is no crueler than it is for those who as adults are sentenced to life without parole. The secondary research supports the abolishment of this practice, however, and it is hoped that further study of the situation from an experiential point of view will support the hypothesis.

In discovering the real-life stories of these children who grow into adulthood behind bars, researchers can better determine how to recommend change and growth within the juvenile justice system.