Prison Sentencing Reform-Juveniles - Term Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages... Recent developments in the American Justice System allowed the courts to sentence juveniles to life imprisonment without parole. The controversial issue has attracted heated debates in the American society and some people have petitioned the Supreme Court to overrule the policy. It is, however, a very good way of safeguarding the American society since the maximum sentencing is only done on juvenile offenders whose crimes could attract capital punishment or life imprisonment if they were adults. Some of these crimes include murder and rape among other serious crimes. The sentencing has been devised in order to keep the dangerous juvenile criminals away from the society. It is believed that the life imprisonment is a viable reform method for the deviant kids. Most of them are reformed within the first 10 years of imprisonment and the court may reduce their sentences to 25 years imprisonment (Jennings, 2010).The justice system in the U.S. has adopted a zero-tolerance policy on crimes regardless of who has committed them. Whether a crime is committed by an adult or a juvenile, its intent is taken seriously by the American justice system and the law offenders are punished accordingly. The main purpose of incarcerating juveniles is to ensure that they reform while serving their sentence. Prior to sending them to prison, juveniles are tested their mental state to determine whether they are of the stable mind and can reform after serving a given sentence in prison....
The controversial issue has attracted heated debates in the American society and some people have petitioned the Supreme Court to overrule the policy. It is, however, a very good way of safeguarding the American society since the maximum sentencing is only done on juvenile offenders whose crimes could attract capital punishment or life imprisonment if they were adults. Some of these crimes include murder and rape among other serious crimes. The sentencing has been devised in order to keep the dangerous juvenile criminals away from the society. It is believed that the life imprisonment is a viable reform method for the deviant kids. Most of them are reformed within the first 10 years of imprisonment and the court may reduce their sentences to 25 years imprisonment (Jennings, 2010). The justice system in the U.S. has adopted a zero tolerance policy on crimes regardless of who has committed them. Whether a crime is committed by an adult or a juvenile, its intent is taken seriously by the American justice system and the law offenders are punished accordingly. The main purpose of incarcerating juveniles is to ensure that they reform while serving their sentence. Prior to sending them to prison, juveniles are tested their mental state to determine whether they are of stable mind and can reform after serving a given sentence in prison. The justice system also looks into preserving public safety when incarcerating juveniles (Jennings, 2010). Reasons for incarceration There are various reasons why a juvenile offender may be sentenced by a court of law in the U.S. Most of the imprisoned juveniles are serious offenders whose freedom is a threat to the public or to themselves. Such offenders include juveniles who are involved in drug crimes like trafficking illegal ...Download file to see next pagesRead More