Juveniles Behind Bars: Life Without Opportunity

Some subjects have always inspired heated debate throughout the world, and always will. One of those subjects is how does a society deal with those people who violate the laws imposed upon its people. On Tuesday the Supreme Court started hearing arguments about how the US sentences juvenile offenders, in particular those involved with murder cases. You can click here for the specific cases that the Supreme Court will be basing their decisions upon. 

From a personal perspective I remain on the fence about how we treat these people; each and every case must be judged based on the unique circumstances of the crime. Some would say that if you commit premeditated murder then you no longer deserve a place in society, but what if you had the misfortune of suffering daily abuse by a family member and feared for your life? What if you get into a fight after being bullied, pull a prank on a friend that takes an unexpected turn, or you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? These are situations faced by teenagers all over the US and the world. They are forced into adult situations at a time when their hormones are raging, the don't have the life experiences to develop adequate problem solving skills, and they don't fully understand the depth of the choices they make. One bad decision could mean LIFE in prison.

In my opinion, I believe that everyone can positively contribute to society in some way, so if we sentence a juvenile to a life in prison we destroy the ability for that person to live up to their full potential. So the next time you're reading the newspaper or watching the news and you hear about a juvenile facing prison time, ask yourself, "What could this person do with a second chance?"