Oklahoma (1982) was the first case the Supreme Court agreed to hear based on the defendant's age. ... The 5-3 decision vacated the defendant's death sentence (at the age of 15, Thompson had participated in the murder of his former brother-in-law). ... The outcome of the decision was that a State's execution of a juvenile who had committed a capital offense prior to age 16 violated Thompson unless the State had a minimum age limit in its death penalty statute. ... - Seventy-three percent committed their crimes at age 17... Most juveniles sentenced to death share varying comb...

• Word Count: 2175
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Persons under the age of eighteen, pregnant women, new mothers or persons who have become insane cannot be sentenced to death. ... Retentionists argue that these high costs are due to "the lengthy time and the high expense result from innumerable appeals, many over 'technicalities' which have little or nothing to do with the question of guilt or innocence, and do little more than jam up the nation's court system. ...

• Word Count: 2106
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The term capital punishment is derived from the Latin caput, meaning "head". It originally referred to death by decapitation, but now applies generally to state authorized executions. Crimes occur in every society around the world. Historically, criminals convicted of these crimes were dealt w...

• Word Count: 3217
• Approx Pages: 13
• Grade Level: Undergraduate