Discussion 2: Life Sentences for Juveniles: Just Punishment or Cruel and Unusual? The sentencing of juvenile offenders has been an ongoing debate, especially when juvenile offenders commit serious crimes such as homicide or rape. In the case of Miller v. Alabama (2012), the U.S. Supreme Court decided that life sentences for juveniles was unconstitutional because it was a violation of the 8th Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. You can read more about the case here. CreditLine Supreme Court of the United States. (2011). MILLER v. ALABAMA: CERTIORARI TO THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF ALABAMA (10–9646). Retrieved from Supreme Court of the United States website: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/10-9646g2i8.pdf

Discussion 2: Life Sentences for Juveniles: Just Punishment or Cruel and Unusual? The sentencing of juvenile offenders has been an ongoing debate, especially when juvenile offenders commit serious crimes such as homicide or rape. In the case of Miller v. Alabama (2012), the U.S. Supreme Court decided that life sentences for juveniles was unconstitutional because it was a violation of the 8th Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. You can read more about the case here. CreditLine Supreme Court of the United States. (2011). MILLER v. ALABAMA: CERTIORARI TO THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF ALABAMA (10–9646). Retrieved from Supreme Court of the United States website: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/10-9646g2i8.pdf Post by Day 3 of Week 3 whether you agree or disagree with the majority decision in this case and that life sentences for juveniles is unconstitutional. Support your stance on why you agree or disagree. Learning Resources Mallicoat, S. L. (2016). Crime and criminal justice: Concepts and controversies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Chapter 6, “Criminal Justice Policy” (pp. 128–142) Crime and Criminal Justice: Concepts and Controversies, 1st Edition by Mallicoat, S. L. Copyright 2016 by Sage College. Reprinted by permission of Sage College via the Copyright Clearance Center. Donohue, J. J., III. (2017, March 29). Moore v. Texas and the pathologies that mar capital punishment in the U.S [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://law.stanford.edu/2017/03/29/moore-v-texas-and-the-pathologies-that-mar-capital-punishment-in-the-u-s/ FBI.gov. (n.d.). National use-of-force data collection [Video file]. Retrieved August 8, 2018 from https://ucr.fbi.gov/use-of-force Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 7 minutes. Ford, M. (2017, October). American policing goes to the Supreme Court. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/10/supreme-court-carpenter-cases/541524/ SCOTUSblog. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2018, from http://www.scotusblog.com/case-­‐files/terms/ot2017/ Krzan, B. (2016). International criminal court facing the peace vs. justice dilemma. International Comparative Jurisprudence, 2(2), 81–88. Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases. SCOTUSblog. (n.d.). Supreme Court procedure. Retrieved March 26, 2018, from http://www.scotusblog.com/reference/educational-resources/supreme-court-procedure/ Note: This site provides case details of all pending Supreme Court decisions. United Nations. (n.d.). International law and justice. Retrieved April 10, 2018, from http://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/international-law-and-justice/index.html Media Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Moore v. Texas oral argument [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author. C-SPAN. (2016, November 29). Moore v. Texas Oral Argument, Nov 29 2016 | Video | C-SPAN.org [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.c-span.org/video/?418887-1/moore-v-texas-oral-argument Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 63 minutes. Accessible player Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Supreme Court Considers Cellphones And Digital Privacy [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author. ©2017 National Public Radio, Inc. News report titled “Supreme Court Considers Cellphones And Digital Privacy” as originally broadcast on NPR’s Morning Edition on November 29, 2017, and is used with the permission of NPR. Any unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited. Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 6 minutes. Accessible player Optional Media Global Dispatches. (2017). This Supreme Court case could have a big impact on US foreign policy [Audio file]. Retrieved from http://www.globaldispatchespodcast.com/this-supreme-court-case-could-have-a-big-impact-on-us-foreign-policy/ NPR. (2016, March 8). At Supreme Court, debate over phone privacy has a long history. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/02/29/468609371/at-supreme-court-debate-over-phone-privacy-has-a-long-history 2 references