Sentencing juveniles to life in prison without chance of parole is cruel and unusual punishment.

In a potential landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court will soon begin hearings regarding the constitutionality of life in prison for juveniles without the chance of release. The court will consider crimes that don’t involve murder. Two cases will be the focus of the hearings, cases where the offenders were sentenced to life in prison for crimes other than murder. The upcoming ruling could offer a chance at parole for the more than 2,500 offenders currently serving life in prison for crimes committed as juveniles.

In 2005, the Supreme Court abolished the death penalty for juveniles, including those sentenced to life in prison, ruling it unconstitutional. The upcoming proceedings stem directly from this ruling, as its consequences have forced juveniles to die in prison with no opportunity for parole.

In the ruling’s majority remarks, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, “Juveniles are less culpable for their criminal activities than adults because they are less mature, less able to control impulses and resist peer pressure and less able to appreciate the full magnitude of their wrongdoing.” The same reasoning should be applied to the upcoming proceedings.
No other country allows life in prison for young offenders. If the courts are going to lock them up for life, then they should at least have a chance of release.

Existing rulings go against equal opportunity for all citizens, regardless of age, that America has forever been known for. By denying these juveniles a chance at parole, we are denying them a chance at life. Their life sentences equates to death in prison.

People who commit crimes at such a young age are often the product of their environment and of unfortunate circumstances, of which they do no have any control. To judge them incorrigible is wrong.

By sentencing minors to life in prison, we are writing them off as hopeless and condemning them to a life in the shadow of society. This is unjust. America promises the right of every citizen to live a life of freedom to its fullest. We are robbing these young offenders at any chance of the American dream. So to uphold such a ruling is un-American.

Rehabilitation should be at the forefront of all cases involving minors. Citizens younger than 18 have no tangible control of their environment. They are forced to cope with a life often full of adversities. Low socioeconomic status, poor housing conditions, drugs, crime and violence in their neighborhood all affect their self-concept and their actions. It is wrong to consider their offenses in line with those of adults. They are kids who are emotional and still display a developing maturity. To treat them as adults is unfair.

“From a moral standpoint it would be misguided to equate the failings of a minor with those of an adult, for a greater possibility exists that a minor’s character deficiencies will be reformed,” Kennedy said. Hopefully, this same sound reasoning will be applied when considering the constitutionality of life in prison with no chance of release.

Let’s give them a chance to go to counseling, to give back to the community, to get an education and to discover a life outside of the one they were born into. Many of the greatest Americans, who so many people look up to, are often the ones who overcome obstacles and defeat the odds. We must allow our youth to accept responsibility for their mistakes and face appropriate consequences, not simply throw them in prison to die.

The court has a moral obligation to protect our youth, who are the future of our country. No young citizen is less important than another. To deny a young offender a chance at life is to deny them a chance at being an American.

8212;Andrew Lewandowski is a media studies senior.

8212;This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail to opinion@thedailyaztec.com. Anonymous letters will not be printed. Include your full name, major and year in school.