"Sentencing Children to Die in Prison"

I am sure that we will all have comments on Jimmy Carter, and I will add mine later. I do think it is important to stress the importance of children when we think about peace. Children are also often ignored in the discussions of mass incarceration. Below are some statistics from California. Note the comparison to other developed countries.

California has sentenced more juveniles to life in prison without possibility of parole than any state except Pennsylvania, says a new study by the University of San Francisco's Center for Law and Global Justice reported by the Los Angeles Times. California has 227 inmates serving such sentences for crimes committed before they turned 18; Pennsylvania has 433. "Sentencing Children to Die in Prison" found that the U.S. has far more juveniles serving life terms than any other country -- 2,387 -- with Israel running a distant second at 7.

Racial disparities are also evident. This reminds me of a story that Dr. D shared with me of his experiences interviewing young gang members. He was able to schedule an interview for Martin Luther King day. After the interview, he thanked the young man for coming into the office on such an important holiday. To which he replied - who is Dr. Martin Luther King? I truly think we need a leader that connects with all people. Where is the anger and outrage that was felt back in the day?

Black juveniles are 10 times more likely than whites to be given a life without parole sentence. In California, black juveniles are 20 times more likely to receive such sentences. "For many children, [life without parole] is an effective death sentence carried out by the state slowly over a long period of time," said Michelle Leighton, study author. It found that 51 percent of youths sentenced to life without parole are first-time offenders. The U.S. government and 44 states permit such sentences.

Another important nugget - we now know that the brain is not developed well into the twenties. Yet, we make long-term punishment decisions based on an individual actions during the teen years.

The report asserts that -

harsh sentences dispensed in adult courts do not take into account the lessened culpability of juvenile offenders, their ineptness at navigating the criminal justice system or their potential for rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Psychologically and neurologically, children cannot be expected to have achieved the same level of mental development as an adult, even when they become teenagers

See full story here.