Does Life Without Parole Violate the 8th Amendment?

I think that life without parole for crimes committed when a juvenile is a violation of the 8th amendment and is cruel and unusual punishment. Take the case of Joe Sullivan. He was thirteen when he was convicted of the rape of the elderly woman in her home in West Pensacola, Florida. He’s now 33, been the victim of several sexual assaults, and has multiple sclerosis but he was 13 when he did it. He’s had 20 years to reflect on what he’s done. According to a 1989 survey by the Department of Justice, the median sentence in state prisons for those convicted of rape was 72 months, but the average time served was 29 months. (http://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/02/weekinreview/the-nation-jail-sentences-for-sex-crimes-are-rarely-very-harsh.html?pagewanted=1)

If most prisoners who were convicted for rape were given a sentence of six years doesn’t it seem unusual that Joe got a life sentence for something he did when he was thirteen? If he crossed the line and had to be treated like an adult why wasn’t he given an adult sentence? He has been denied a life. Six years and he would have been 18 and could have started/finished high school, done rehabilitation classes, gone to college and moved on past this part of his life. Now he is still in jail and has been sexually assaulted himself. Isn’t that enough punishment? I think that letting him rot in prison for the rest of his life for something he did when teens are all but irresponsible is cruel and unusual punishment and violates the 8th amendment.

International Woman's Day Appreciation

Blog it! It's International Woman's Day. Write about the woman you appreciate today and why.

The woman I appreciate is my mom. She’s one person who I can talk to when I can’t talk to anybody else. She always packs my lunch. She lets me buy books on my kindle. She makes me breakfast. She does all these things for me that I can’t say enough about. She raised me. Helps me with my homework when she can. She takes me places. She is always supporting me. I don’t thank her enough for what she does for me. That’s why I try to appreciate all the stuff she does for me. I do appreciate it. She’s a trooper taking care of me, my sis, my dad, and my cat without ever stopping for herself and still working. My mom is an amazing woman.