The U.S. Supreme Court, which has in recent years been overwhelming conservative in its decisions, showed signs of humanity when it ruled that juvenile offenders under 17 could no longer be sentenced to life without parole for crimes that didn’t result in a death.
Calling such sentences cruel and unusual punishment, and in violation of the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment, the Justices ruled 6-3 in favor of putting an end to judicial punishments that give offenders no hope of a life after prison. Even Chief Justice John Roberts, a notorious conservative appointed by President George W. Bush, ruled on the side of what’s fair and decent.
At the heart of the decision was the case of Terrance Graham who, at 17, was already on parole when he broke into a home and robbed the owners by gunpoint. To be fair, it seems that Graham, now in his early 20s, didn’t learn from his first crime and stint in jail. However, a life sentence without the possibility of parole for someone so young in a case where no one was killed seems especially harsh.
Currently, 37 states and DC support a life sentence without parole for juveniles in crimes that don’t involve a death. Now, as a result of the Court’s decision, those local practices must change. There are currently 129 juvenile offenders sentenced under such laws in the U.S.; more than half of them are in Florida, a state known for its tough sentencing laws. At their core, judges across the country must have realized that handing down such a punishment in these types of cases was unjust and, though it was legally acceptable, decided to go another route.
With their ruling, the Court does not excuse the Graham’s of the world. Rather, it asks that judges act fairly – and humanely – when handing down sentences. This decision is a step toward fair sentencing practices that could give offenders, with the aid of rehabilitation, hope of a life after prison. Since America incarcerates more people than any other country in the world, this is a step our country needed to take.
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My so is 17yrs old. He is taking dual credit classes and honor classes at his high school. He found a part-time job working at a local grocery store. The manager told him that he will be selling alcoholic beverages, because that is a part of his job description.
It was his second day of orientation working at the cash register. The person who was orientating him left him at the cash register (for whatever reason). there were customers in the line and he them up as they came through the line. There was an under cover cop posing as a 19yr old that came through the line and purchased beer. The person stated that he was 19 yrs. old. My son proceeded to take his ID and log it into the cash register for birthday verification. “Oh okay I guess you are 19 so you’re good”, is what my son said. The cop took the purchased beer and left the store. My son continued to assist the other customers. About five minutes later, the person that was supposed to be orientating him came back to the register and immediately a police officer called my son to come over to the side and talk. the manager was also called over to the side. the officer stated that ” First of all the young man is 17 yrs old and he shouldn’t be working at the cash register selling alcohol. Secondly he sold to a minor.” My son was handcuffed, read his rights and escorted to the police car.
My son was taken to Fort Worth Police Department downtown. My daughter called me to notify me of what had taken place. She was told by a co-worker of my son. The manager stated that the police officer told him that my son would be able to call some one at 1 a.m. the next morning. I was never called. I wasn’t able to locate my son until after 9 a.m. the next morning. I was told that he wasn’t there or he wasn’t processed yet. I kept calling back and they said he was released but he was taken to Mansfield. They also stated that he was charged with A minor selling alcohol. I went to Mansfield and they said that he was being charged with selling alcohol to a minor. I was told that I couldn’t visit him but I can bail him out. It was 1500 bail, but I paid 10%. I was told that he was being tried as an adult. My son called later for me to pick him up. He was standing outside of the facility. I was puzzled because I thought I would have to sign him out, by him being 17. He stated that when he saw the judge he corrected that person because his birth date information was incorrect. They corrected it, so I don’t have proof to show on paper, however, his arm bracelet showed his birth year as ‘92 instead of ‘93. He hasn’t had a court date yet. He filled the paper work out at the bail bondsman today.
I would like to know if any of his rights was violated?
My son is a great student and I wouldn’t want anything to be on his record. He has never been in trouble before and I don’t want this to prevent him from attending the college of his choice or landing the job of his dreams.
Do you have any suggestions?
Wisconsin Incarcerates 3X more people than the neighbor states. The DOC is over burdened and has a very low budget because they are over-extended. The problem is the Laws are too restrictive, and there are too many people locked up for drug and alcohol crimes. “Wisconsin has the distinction of having the highest rate of African-American male incarceration of any state in the nation. How CAN YOU FIGHT THOSE ODDS? It’s just simply UNFAIR~!~