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.
No comments:
Post a Comment