|
|
Article: Juvenile death penalty abolished; In a seminal 5-to-4 decision, the Supreme Court strikes down capital punishment for those who commit crimes under age 18.(USA)
- Article from:
- The Christian Science Monitor
- Article date:
- March 2, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 The Christian Science Publishing Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Byline: Warren Richey Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
WASHINGTON -- The US Supreme Court has struck down the juvenile death penalty, embracing a constitutional challenge that the nation's evolving standards of decency have rendered the practice cruel and unusual.
In a landmark decision announced Tuesday, the justices ruled 5 to 4 that state laws authorizing capital punishment for 16- and 17-year-olds who commit murder violate the Eighth Amendment and are henceforth unconstitutional. The action reverses the death sentences of 72 convicted murderers who committed their crimes as juveniles.
Juvenile justice advocates hail the ruling ...