No death sentence for U.S juveniles

Community Action, March 21, 2005

WASHINGTON -- The United States Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision ruled that the execution of murderers who were under 18 when they committed their crimes, was a violation of the constitutional ban on "cruel and unusual punishment".

The decision lifts the death sentence from 70 juveniles in 19 states and continues the court's practice of narrowing the scope of the death penalty. Most states do not allow the death penalty for minors.

Dissenting Justice Antonin Scalia argued that there is no clear trend of declining juvenile executions to justify a growing consensus against the practice.