The Issue of Life Imprisonment for Minors
Prison sentences for minors are the subject of a wide discourse, especially regarding life sentences in custody. After watching various videos and reading several scientific papers, the opinion develops that the revision of criminal cases against children and adolescents has many positive sides. It is difficult to disagree with this view, especially after viewing several statistical pages that illustrate that the policy of commutation or cancellation of the sentence impacts the state economy and health care.
When considering this issue, it should remember that most crimes among minors occur under the influence of external factors: domestic violence, psychological trauma, and poverty. This fact causes negative emotions and a sense of the injustice of capital punishment for children and adolescents who commit most crimes unknowingly. The experience of Philadelphia shows that cases of recidivism after the revision of life sentences among minors are minimal (slightly more than 1%) (Daftary-Kapur et al., 2022). This practice gives hope that the state will individually approach the consideration of such cases and make fairer decisions in the future. This category of people needs public understanding and has a chance to restore a decent standard of living. The abolition of life sentences must significantly impact the economy and health, especially during a pandemic (Daftary-Kapur et al., 2022). The state saves on the maintenance of prisoners, transfers money to fight Covid-19, and receives volunteers to hospitals in the person of former prisoners.
Reviewing and overturning sentences is important for Philadelphia to become an example for the main American states and the rest of the world. Minors deserve a chance to start living a new, and most examples now confirm the validity of this thesis. The observance of law and order has always occupied an important place in public policy, so it is important to do it fairly and within the legislative framework. This trend inspires optimism for the future when the percentage of recidivism in juvenile prisoners will be zero.
Reference
Daftary-Kapur, T., Zottoli, T. M., Faust, T., & Schneider, R. (2022). A first look at the reentry experiences of juvenile lifers released in Philadelphia. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law. Advance online publication. Web.