for crimes they committed when they were juveniles. About one in fifty of the more than thirty four hundred individuals on death row in the United States were convicted of crimes committed when they were under the age of eighteen (Amnesty Int.). Three fourths of the seventy were seventeen when they did the crime. This means that most of these convicted juveniles were still suppose to be in high school and were old enough to drive.What makes a juvenile old enough to be put to death for his actions? Most juveniles in the United States can drive at the age of sixteen. They can also legally work and attend school. Therefore, what keeps the juvenile from assuming the responsibilities for his actions? For Steve Roach, it means he was seventeen and he admits his wrong doing but says he’s a different person now since he’s been sentenced to death row (Glasser 26). The debate has two sides: one that says the death penalty is wrong for this juvenile because he was misguided, lived in a bad neighborhood and didn’t have a daddy around when he was growing up. For some people this is a good enough reason to keep this juvenile from meeting his maker. For the other side of the debate they say he was old enough to do the crime, then he was old enough to do the punishment. This side of the debate states that it was the convicted juveniles choice to shot the seventy year old grand mother in the chest with a shotgun. The first side of the debate, opponents of the death penalty, feels that it is cruel and unusual punishment (Amnesty Int. 1). They also think it does not deter anybody from doing crimes. It is barbaric and uncivilized. The age of the juveniles also is used in their argument to portray a helpless little boy or girl that went astray. Opponents also use the mentality of the individual as a reason not to sentence a juvenile to death (Feld 94). For example, opponents say that if the mental capacity of a seventeen-year-old is actual...
