The U.S. Supreme Court banned the death penalty for juveniles under 18 in 2005.
I agree with that decision but the conclusions drawn regarding past abuse, mental illness and addiction problems are things that will probably remain constant so will still apply when they’re adults.
Past abuse
Most of the convicted had suffered from some form of psychological, sexual and/or extreme physical abuse in their families. Past family abuse is a well known risk factor for future violent behavior so this doesn’t seem like a surprising find.
Mental Illness
A study of 18 convicted males was “to clarify the ways in which immaturity of their central nervous systems, traumas to their brains, predispositions to psychiatric illness, and chaotic, violent and abusive upbringings may have diminished their judgment and self-control.” (Lewis and colleagues study, 2004)
Signs and symptoms were present in 83% of the condemned, indicating either bi-polar disorder or schizoaffective disorder. I’m not sure how they came up with those labels. It seems many juveniles don’t have fully developed consciences so could be accused of being anti-social as well.
Yet another study confirmed that most psychosocial maturity is incomplete up until the age of 19. This could explain the bi-polar and/or schizo affective disorder suggestion since impulse control is lacking in both. Being mentally ill alone does not necessarily make a person more likely to be violent but an abusive violent family home does.
Addictions
Addictions were also mentioned as a contributing factor but how many youths suffered from a drug addiction wasn’t mentioned. This wouldn’t help anyone’s judgment though regardless of age.
- The only thing that will change is they will probably mature so their impulse control may improve. If juveniles are mentally ill and their frontal lobe is affected, growing older does not guarantee better impulse controls either. Medication may help but that’s only if they’re properly diagnosed and treated once released.
See When is it ‘Cruel and Unusual Punishment’? Supreme Court Bans Juvenile Death Penalty, Arline Kaplin, 2005 for more.
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