NCJ Number
204881
Date Published
2004
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This report examines the juvenile death penalty from the perspective of both families of victims murdered by juveniles and families of juvenile offenders executed.
Abstract
The creation of the juvenile justice system rests on the belief that when a juvenile commits a crime a different kind of response is warranted as opposed to when an adult commits a crime. Therefore, juveniles typically receive sentences that focus on treatment rather than punishment, except in States that sentence juvenile offenders to death. In the United States, the opposition to the execution of juvenile offenders is growing with opinion polls showing that most people oppose the practice. This report examines the issue of the juvenile death penalty from the perspective of family members of victims killed by juvenile offenders and parents of juvenile offenders who have been executed. Individuals presented in this report are members of Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation. This is a national organization of homicide victims’ family members opposing the death penalty in all cases. It demonstrates that the issues surrounding the juvenile death penalty are victims’ issues too. The report is a statement against state killing of juveniles, presented by those who know violent loss most intimately and have been most directly affected by juvenile crimes. The members of human rights organization, Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation conclude that the juvenile death penalty has no place in a democratic society and that it is time to bring the law in line with the national consensus and abolish the juvenile death penalty.