NCJ Number
117215
Date Published
1987
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This discussion surveys State law and judicial standards governing juvenile capital punishment, highlights the case of James Terry Roach executed in South Carolina in 1986, and reviews international practices.
Abstract
After emphasizing that sentencing juvenile offenders to death clearly contravenes international human rights treaties and standards, the article describes both the current and historical use of the death penalty for minors. While most State laws allow the execution of minors, the American Bar Association and the Model Penal Code formally oppose it. Following an analysis of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Eddings v. Oklahoma (1982), the paper reviews the case of James Terry Roach, the only juvenile offender sentenced to death at that time to have pursued and exhausted all State and Federal appeals. A summary of international practices finds an almost universal adherence prohibiting execution of juveniles. Tables and footnotes.