Florida at center of Supreme Court ban on juvenile life sentences:Carol Marbin Miller

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/17/v-fullstory/1634373/florida-a-focus-of-a-ban-on-juvenile.html

The state of Florida has been the center of attention for the U.S. Supreme Court recently. The high court just banned "the sentencing of teenagers to life without parole for crimes other than murder" this past Monday (Miller). The decision to change the law was due to the court deciding that jailing a juvenile for life when they did not commit murder is cruel and unusual punishment. The Supreme Court and some others believe that the ruling is fair because some teens did not grow fully mature until they are adults therefore should not be punished with a sentence that is not proportionate with the intensity of the crime. The judicial system in Florida believes that some teenagers who commit crimes other than murder should still be put in jail for life. This is not very often that a state hands out a life sentence with no parole to a teenager who did not commit a crime. "Judges in only 10 states have ever imposed such a sentence---and in three states, only once" (Annino qtd. in Miller).

The author's opinion in the paper is effectively supported with data from Florida State University professors, attorney's opinions, and Supreme Court justices. The data from FSU shows how cruel punishment for non-homicidal crimes against teenagers were very prevalent compared to many other states. Information from attorneys show that even with their knowledge of the law, it was clear that some of the life sentences were not fair compared to the intensity of the crime. To show how the author's opinion was supported, Miller used quotes from Supreme Court justices that agreed with her opinion to ban life sentences handed to teenagers that committed a non-homicidal crime. With quotes from the Supreme Court backing the author's case, it is very clear that this article is persuasive and sends the message to the reader clearly.

This article angered me that young teenagers that did not have mature mindsets at such a young age were thrown in jail for such a long time for committing a crime less than murder. A young man named Joe Sullivan was convicted of rape at the age of 13 and was sentenced to life without parole! This is not a fair sentence to a boy who was in the middle of his adolescence and would not know the complete seriousness of raping another individual. This just isn't fair, at the age of 13 I still thought girls had "cooties" so tell me how this young boy knew exactly what he was doing to the individual and know the severe consequences. I think this issue was very interesting and quite controversial because not many people that have committed non-homicidal crimes at any age should be given a life sentence! The evidence that was jammed in the article only shows how strong and opinionated this case was, which makes it very interesting for readers.