We the Jury Sentence the Defendant to Death

Yesterday in class we talked about the Roper v Simmons case where Simmons, at the age of 17, broke into Roper’s house with is friend, tied her up and threw her off a bridge. In court, Simmons confessed to the murder and even performed a reenactment. This case established that it is unconstitutional to impose the death penalty on someone who was under the age of 18 at the time they committed their crime. I remember discussing this case in one of Texidor’s classes and I always found it interesting. I have always been back and forth when it comes to the death penalty. For some, I don’t believe that it is necessary because it is more effective for them to sit in prison for the rest of their life with the guilt of what they did. However, others do not even think twice about what they did and would do it again the minute they are released from prison; these are the people that I then think they should be put to death. They would just be sucking up the tax payer’s money sitting in prison for the rest of their lives. So then it comes to whether juveniles should be put to death. As discussed in class, it is clear this kid knew exactly what he was doing and didn’t even seem to regret what he did; he is the type of person that is just a danger to our society and should never be allowed back into it. I do believe that some juveniles can do a 180 though and completely change their attitude. After working in the Juvenile Unit at the Chester County District Attorney’s Office, I know that many kids have done this; they make bad mistakes at a young enough age that they are able to change. In this case though, I do not believe that Simmons would be able to change; he was a sick individual. So in the end, I suppose I think that when it comes to sentencing someone to death, it all depends on the person and the circumstances.