Death Penalty for Minors: Cruel and Unusual

The American Medical Association and Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation are among the groups and community leaders who are speaking out about this subject.

A recent article on the Amednews website breaks down the issue, making the fundamental point that:

Adolescents, even older adolescents, do not possess a level of maturity and understanding of consequences that come with adulthood. That's why it is startling that, in certain states, these same young people still can be punished with death if convicted of a capital crime.

Furthermore there is no evidence to support the principle that the death penalty has any deterrent value for this age group (or any age group for that matter).

The AMA, along with the American Psychological Assn. and the American Society of Adolescent Psychiatry, are calling for action. The American Bar Assn. does not have a policy regarding the death penalty in general, however the organization opposes its use for juvenile offenders or for people who are mentally retarded. And friend-of-the-court filings were offered by other nations and many world leaders decrying the practice's inhumane

In October’s supreme court term, justices will consider this issue, stay tuned.

Posted by sally at 12:46 PM