Good News, for once
The Supreme Court has ruled the death penalty unconstitutional for minors.
This is one area, at least, where we can now claim to be slightly better than countries with horrible human rights abuses, like Iran and China.
Quoth the AP:
Justice Anthony Kennedy (news - web sites), writing for the majority, said many juveniles lack maturity and intellectual development to understand the ramifications of their actions.
"The age of 18 is the point where society draws the line for many purposes between childhood and adulthood. It is, we conclude, the age at which the line for death eligibility ought to rest," Kennedy said.
The United States has stood almost alone in the world in officially sanctioning juvenile executions, a "stark reality" that can't be ignored, Kennedy wrote. Juvenile offenders have been put to death in recent years in only a few other countries, including Iran (news - web sites), Pakistan, China and Saudi Arabia.
This is one area, at least, where we can now claim to be slightly better than countries with horrible human rights abuses, like Iran and China.
Quoth the AP:
Justice Anthony Kennedy (news - web sites), writing for the majority, said many juveniles lack maturity and intellectual development to understand the ramifications of their actions.
"The age of 18 is the point where society draws the line for many purposes between childhood and adulthood. It is, we conclude, the age at which the line for death eligibility ought to rest," Kennedy said.
The United States has stood almost alone in the world in officially sanctioning juvenile executions, a "stark reality" that can't be ignored, Kennedy wrote. Juvenile offenders have been put to death in recent years in only a few other countries, including Iran (news - web sites), Pakistan, China and Saudi Arabia.
posted by Matthew at 12:17 PM
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