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WASHINGTON
- August 27 - In a precedent-setting case with national repercussions,
the Missouri Supreme Court Tuesday overturned the death sentence of
a juvenile offender. The court found that "a national consensus has
developed against the execution of juvenile offenders" and cited the
number of states that have banned the practice.
The Missouri Supreme Court struck down the death sentence of Christopher
Simmons, who was 17 years old when he committed a murder a decade ago.
The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty earlier this year
launched a campaign to abolish the execution of juvenile offenders.
The United States is the only country that has executed a juvenile
offender during 2003.
"Today's decision helps usher the United States into the 21st century,"
said Steven W. Hawkins, NCADP executive director. "We do not let
juveniles sign contracts, serve in the military, marry, purchase
alcohol or cigarettes or even vote. Yet we somehow deem them eligible
for the death penalty. The double standard is appalling. Now Missouri
has stood up and said no to this double standard."
Approximately 80 juvenile offenders are on death rows in the United
States. Six of the past seven executed juvenile offenders have been
from Texas and have been African American. Scott Hain, a white
juvenile offender, was executed earlier this year by the state of Oklahoma.
Twenty-eight states now ban the execution of juvenile offenders --
16 states that permit the death penalty and 12 states that ban all
executions. Hawkins argues that juvenile offender executions must be banned,
just as the executions of people with mental retardation have been.
Hawkins cites a growing body of medical evidence that suggests juvenile
offenders are not as culpable as adult offenders and have a better
chance of rehabilitation. "We once believed the human brain
was fully developed by age 14," Hawkins said. "We now know that the
brain is still developing beyond the age of 17. The fact is that
juveniles have lesser capacity for reflective judgment and impulse
control than adult offenders. Unfortunately, our criminal justice
system has not kept pace with recent discoveries in the area of the
behavioral sciences."
The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty was founded
in 1976 and is the only fully-staffed national organization
devoted specifically to abolishing the death penalty. NCADP is
comprised of more than 100 local, state, national and international
affiliates.
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