I am outraged. I do not understand sentencing a juvenile for life imprisonment without parole, ever. Developmentally, youth are not adults and therefore, do not have the same decision-making capabilities. They should not be tried as adults. When youth commit crimes we have to look at the full spectrum of their lives and the shaping of their worldviews before determining the appropriate ways of addressing their crimes. We are products of our environments and when we are surrounded by violence, we learn to use violence as means of resolution.
In 2012, The Sentencing Project conducted research and found there were more than 1500 youth serving life sentences without parole for crimes committed as a juvenile. One man, 67 years old in 2012, has served 49 years in prison. He was 18 when convicted, and committed his crime as a juvenile. 49 years in prison for a crime he committed when he was technically a minor! In this study of the youth serving life sentences without parole, a high percentage showed high socioeconomic disadvantage, racial disparity in their sentencing, limited judicial discretion and correctional policies and practices that block rehabilitation. How can we allow thee young people to be committed to prison for life, while they are still children?
Another outrageous statistic is how we are treating juveniles who commit crimes, who are not sentenced for life, and instead are committed to correctional facilities. A 2011 report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that of youth who are committed to correctional facilities, 40% are placed in locked long-term juvenile detention centers that resemble prisons more than homes. These detention centers usually house 200-300 youth. Their learning in these detention centers is that people cannot be trusted, the world is a dangerous place, you have to take what you need because no one else is looking out for you, and they might as well take their chances continuing down this path because they have no better alternatives. How do we expect them to behave when they are released back into their neighborhoods? I do not need to state here how high the recidivism rates are for addressing youth crime in this manner.
This is a depressing state of affairs and a social world within which I do not want to live. I am advocating that while these young people have to be held accountable for their actions and the choices they make, there should be learning opportunities toward building a constructive future. There are many systemic issues that need to be addressed, such as better education, less violence in homes and in communities, and more employment and economic opportunities. This takes collective and persistent effort until there is enough momentum built that there will be no turning back and no settling for less, from our politicians and each other. We need more chances to express ourselves through the arts as a means of communication, bonding and healing.
At the same time, individually, we need to improve the way we communicate with and treat one another. When people are treated respectfully as human beings, we are more likely to reciprocate that behavior. We need local role models who demonstrate on a daily basis what it means to wake up everyday optimistic and proactive, ready to build a successful life, step by step. There are organizations and individuals in our communities making these efforts: those that practice conflict resolution, peacebuilding and social justice. We need to tell the stories of these organizations and people as one by one they improve their lives, the lives of others and their communities.
References
The Sentencing Project - http://www.sentencingproject.org/template/index.cfm
Annie e. Casey Foundation - http://www.aecf.org