Earlier this year the Supreme Court of the United States handed down arguably one their most important, yet controversial decisions regarding juvenile law. In the case Roper v Simmons (2005), a narrow 5-4 decision, overturned the United States practice of allowing capital punishment for juvenile offenders.
Mitigating factors must be considered when examining the decision of the Supreme Court whenever they overturn previous courts decisions. This issue becomes more complex in the Juvenile System because of the relative infancy of this aspect of the American judicial system.
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