Amnesty urges U.S. to ban life without parole sentences for children

[News_Editor]

Amnesty urges U.S. to ban life without parole sentences for children

2011-12-01 08:40:27 GMT+7 (ICT)

LONDON (BNO NEWS) -- Amnesty International on Wednesday urged the government of the Unites States to ban the imposition of life without parole sentences against young offenders.

The London-based rights group also urged the U.S. to review the cases of more than 2,500 prisoners currently serving such sentences. Children as young as 11 at the time of the crime have faced life imprisonment without parole in the U.S. - only one of a few countries in the world to impose this sentence on children, according to Amnesty.

"In the USA, people under 18 years old cannot vote, buy alcohol, lottery tickets or consent to most forms of medical treatment but they can be sentenced to die in prison for their actions. This needs to change," said Natacha Mension, Campaigner on the U.S. at Amnesty International.

A new Amnesty International report entitled "This is where I'm going to be when I die" illustrates the issue through the stories of three people. In the U.S., life without parole can be imposed on juvenile offenders without consideration of mitigating factors such as history of abuse or trauma, degree of involvement in the crime, mental health status or amenability to rehabilitation.

"We are not excusing crimes committed by children or minimizing their consequences but the simple reality is that these sentences ignore the special potential for rehabilitation and change that young offenders have," Mension said.

In May 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court said life without parole is "an especially harsh punishment for a juvenile", as the young offender will serve, on average, more years and a greater percentage of his or her life in prison than an older offender. "A 16-year-old and a 75-year-old each sentenced to life without parole receive the same punishment in name only," the Court said.

Amnesty called on the U.S. to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which expressly prohibits the imposition of life imprisonment without the possibility of release for offenses -- however serious -- committed by people under 18 years old. All countries except the U.S. and Somalia have ratified the Convention, which entered into force more than two decades ago.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-12-01

[Exsexyman]

More than 2,500 children currently serving such sentences! Only two countries refuse to ratify the UN Convention for the Rights of The child, The US and Somalia! Wow, America certainly does keep some distinguished company. And people on here go on about Iran.

[chuckd]

The US does not follow the dictates of the UN. Never has and never will.

All we do is pay nearly one fourth of its cost.

[duncanb]

Ignore them

"We are not excusing crimes committed by children or minimizing their consequences but the simple reality is that these sentences ignore the special potential for rehabilitation and change that young offenders have," Mension said.

they may have the potential for rehabilitation BUT the "simple reality" is that rehabilitation is not foolproof. If 100 are freed, and 10% of them are not rehabilitated and go on to kill or rape someone, then this price is too high. Amnesty International have long expired their usefulness, and are a reason why many crazy people are set free to offend again.

Should we listen to an organisation that:

Human rights group Amnesty International has paid more than £500,000 in a secret pay-off to its former chief, it was revealed yesterday.

The organisation paid out another £300,000 to its deputy leader, who quit at the same time in December 2009.

Amnesty declined to discuss the payouts to former secretary general Irene Khan and her deputy Kate Gilmore.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1358537/Revealed-Amnesty-Internationals-800-000-pay-offs-bosses.html#ixzz1fIiTpGo1

[lovetotravel]

More than 2,500 children currently serving such sentences! Only two countries refuse to ratify the UN Convention for the Rights of The child, The US and Somalia! Wow, America certainly does keep some distinguished company. And people on here go on about Iran.

So you are saying a child would be better off in Iran than in the US? Hard to imagine.

I think I would prefer the US over most of the signatories of this convention if I were a child.

[philw]

More than 2,500 children currently serving such sentences! Only two countries refuse to ratify the UN Convention for the Rights of The child, The US and Somalia! Wow, America certainly does keep some distinguished company. And people on here go on about Iran.

So you are saying a child would be better off in Iran than in the US? Hard to imagine.

I think I would prefer the US over most of the signatories of this convention if I were a child.

No, he's NOT saying a child is better of in Iran than in the USA.

Please try again.

It is quite shocking, if true, that there are 2,500 under 16's serving life without parole sentences in the USA.

Can anybody verify that and what are the offences ??

[mpoppel]

More than 2,500 children currently serving such sentences! Only two countries refuse to ratify the UN Convention for the Rights of The child, The US and Somalia! Wow, America certainly does keep some distinguished company. And people on here go on about Iran.

So you are saying a child would be better off in Iran than in the US? Hard to imagine.

I think I would prefer the US over most of the signatories of this convention if I were a child.

No, he's NOT saying a child is better of in Iran than in the USA.

Please try again.

It is quite shocking, if true, that there are 2,500 under 16's serving life without parole sentences in the USA.

Can anybody verify that and what are the offences ??

I think what they mean is 2,500 people who were sentenced in the past for crimes they committed when they were under 18. For example, one could be 50 now but serving his/her life imprisonment since being a kid.

Edited December 1, 2011 by mpoppel

[Pedzie]

More than 2,500 children currently serving such sentences! Only two countries refuse to ratify the UN Convention for the Rights of The child, The US and Somalia! Wow, America certainly does keep some distinguished company. And people on here go on about Iran.

So you are saying a child would be better off in Iran than in the US? Hard to imagine.

I think I would prefer the US over most of the signatories of this convention if I were a child.

How would it be hard to imagine a child being better of in Iran than the US ?

Lets say an average child in the US is used of having ultra violent PS3 or Xbox games at his/hers disposal, followed by Mc'donalds for dinner, and also access to an unlimited amount of bad things detrimental to a child's health. I have done no research on this...But I wonder if you compare childhood obesity/violent children etc with the US and Iran, I wonder what answers would come up!

[TAWP]

they may have the potential for rehabilitation BUT the "simple reality" is that rehabilitation is not foolproof. If 100 are freed, and 10% of them are not rehabilitated and go on to kill or rape someone, then this price is too high. Amnesty International have long expired their usefulness, and are a reason why many crazy people are set free to offend again.

The same logic could be applied to the courts - of every 100 decleared guilty because of lack of evidence, atleast 10 are guilty. Therefor we should stop having high demands of evidence, since you think the cost is too high and those being free'd that was guilty often end up being doing more crime.

There is a word for that kind of state...

[Pedzie]

More than 2,500 children currently serving such sentences! Only two countries refuse to ratify the UN Convention for the Rights of The child, The US and Somalia! Wow, America certainly does keep some distinguished company. And people on here go on about Iran.

So you are saying a child would be better off in Iran than in the US? Hard to imagine.

I think I would prefer the US over most of the signatories of this convention if I were a child.

How would it be hard to imagine a child being better of in Iran than the US ?

Lets say an average child in the US is used of having ultra violent PS3 or Xbox games at his/hers disposal, followed by Mc'donalds for dinner, and also access to an unlimited amount of bad things detrimental to a child's health. I have done no research on this...But I wonder if you compare childhood obesity/violent children etc with the US and Iran, I wonder what answers would come up!

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/516370-texas-gunman-shoots-woman-4-children-before-killing-self/

[Jingthing]

Too many prisoners in America to begin with, of different ages. Something is rotten with the system. It has become a profit center for corporations and a jobs program for hicksville communities. Things like three strikes you're out where the third strike can be either a tiny crime or a major crime.

I could see many children being better off living in Iran than the US. Millions of American children are dealing with poverty, homelessness or near homelessness, lack of access to health care, and hunger.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/hunger_at_home/hunger-home-american-children-malnourished/story?id=14367230

As an American, I welcome much MORE international attention on the injustice of the American prison and "justice" system.

Sometimes it is beyond absurd. An old friend of mine spent two months in prison for urinating in a dark alley late at night (yes first "offense"). There are people in prison for decades for small amounts of marijuana, etc.

The United States has less than 5 percent of the world's population. But it has almost a quarter of the world's prisoners.

Indeed, the United States leads the world in producing prisoners, a reflection of a relatively recent and now entirely distinctive American approach to crime and punishment. Americans are locked up for crimes — from writing bad checks to using drugs — that would rarely produce prison sentences in other countries. And in particular they are kept incarcerated far longer than prisoners in other nations.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/world/americas/23iht-23prison.12253738.html

That said, I think these bigger issues of mass incarceration are much more important than any objections to throwing away the key for the minority of criminals who commit heinous crimes, sometimes even as children.

Edited December 1, 2011 by Jingthing

[lovetotravel]

I'll still pick Xbox's and PS3's over this:

http://www.hrw.org/n...c-republic-iran

Among the most serious problems with Iran's 2009 State Report are the following:

• The report devotes little attention to the death penalty under Article 6 (right to life), even though Iran is believed to have executed 388 people in 2008, and is second only to China in the number of executions carried out annually;
• The section on torture and ill-treatment (Article 7) recounts provisions in Iranian law that prohibit the use of torture and references several cases where government officials were apparently convicted of torture, but nowhere addressing credible reports regarding the authorities' systematic use of torture in Iran's detention facilities;

And for sure, you don't want to be a woman:

http://en.wikipedia....iolence_in_Iran

In Iran the nature of domestic violence is complicated by both a national culture and authoritative state that support control, oppression and violence against women. "The government does so by promoting fundamentalist ideas of women as properties of men. It does so by setting up an unequal legal system and not punishing assault even when it has resulted in severe injury or at times even death. The conversation of domestic violence then cannot be simply domestic but begins to take the shape of a systematic violence, fueled by tradition, ignited by religion, encouraged by the dominant authoritarian state, and empowered by poverty and illiteracy."^[3]

At the heart of the issue is the belief, rooted in common law, that men are responsible for their household affairs, especially treatment of family members, and should not be subject to intervention by the government.^[3]

"Women should sacrifice themselves and tolerate" is an old Iranian saying that represents how most women manage domestic abuse.^[4

And this one is really bothersome. I'll pick the US any day:

http://www.impact-se...n%207.11.07.pdf

Iran holds the ominous world record for child executions, according to both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. A report by the CMIP iii shows how, in clear violation of the CRC, Iran is teaching whole generations of schoolchildren to sacrifice themselves in "martyrdom" operations against the West. Testimonies leaked out of Iran relay horrific accounts of children tortured and jailed by the Iranian authorities. Children belonging to religious minorities such as the Bahai are discriminated against and hounded by the state.

One of the main themes in the textbooks is the glorification of the deaths of the thousands of children who were "drafted" into the Iranian army during its war with Iraq. The children, some as young as 9 and others still in high school, were pulled out of classrooms and sent to the front on suicide missions. These exploited child soldiers are held up as role models for students to emulate throughout the state education system.

Case in point is that of Makwan Mouloudzadeh who is facing the hangman's noose for "crimes of chastity" he allegedly committed seven years ago at the age of 13. Mouloudzadeh was sentenced to death in May 2007 and will be executed soon despite the fact that his accusers repeatedly retracted their claims during the trial. vii

Executions are typically carried out in public and the most common method is death by hanging, usually from an industrial crane. The children stand on a gallows with their hands tied behind their backs while the executioner fits a noose around their necks. The children are then swung from the crane and left to dangle in front of the crowds for some time after their deaths.

[Scott]

Off-topic posts removed. Please stay on the topic. The amount of money owed by the US to the UN is not the subject of the OP.

[johna]

The US penal system is for punishment not rehabilitation.

Norway's rehabilitation programs results in only 25% of prisoners re-offending, compared to 60%+ in the US.

The whole system needs overhauling, private for profit prisons are a blot on the justice system and certainly need scrutiny by organizations like Amnesty.

[Credo]

I always find it amazing when a comparison is made between two very different countries. One is small and has a largely uniform culture and language; the other large and very diverse. The problems are considerably different and the solutions for one will not necessarily work for the other.

That said, rehabilitation is key for those who can be rehabilitated.

I am against mandatory sentencing imposed on judges. I don't always agree with Amnesty, but I do listen to them. Very young offenders should not have such sentences imposed. Whether or not they should or can function as law abiding citizens outside an institutional setting needs to have the input of professionals. People are something we should never give up on, especially children.

[geriatrickid]

Juvenile offenders serving a life sentence that demonstrate a change in behaviour do qualify for clemency and/or pardon. It usually takes some time, but it is possible.

However, more to the point, have any of the people protesting these sentences taken a look at the offenders. there are some very hardcore murderers and violent criminals involved. Where exactly, would you like them to be kept? In your homes perhaps? I've read some of the cases and when one sees a juvenile that is seriously disturbed and will obviously reoffend, what exactly would you propose be done with them? Release them into the community so they can kill again, or rob and beat someone again? One cannot impose therapy or medication on inmates that are released.

Yes, some kids can and do change and provisions must be made to respond to these people, Unfortunately, some of the people that are the focus of the positon paper are seriously deranged and will kill again if released.

Edited December 4, 2011 by Scott
formatting

[koheesti]

Google it and you will find the average time served for a "life senetence" in the US is much shorter than you might expect.

[Pedzie]

I'm not a fan of life sentences of children, I do however look at the case of the 2 kids who killed James Bulger on Merseyside in the UK back in the early 90's...One of the the culprits (John Venables) was given every chance whilst he was locked up in a secure facility, he was even given a new identity upon his release only to get caught downloading child porn!! People like this do deserve to be locked up until they prove they are no longer a risk to society, a sentence was handed out to Thompson and the authorities were powerless to detain him further once the sentence was served.

[chooka]

OMG do the yanks actually treat children like that? I actually thought they were a civilized developed country. This is totally barbaric and inhumane and certainly changed my opinion of them. Come on U.S.A catch up with the developed world and get civilized.

[Jingthing]

OMG do the yanks actually treat children like that? I actually thought they were a civilized developed country. This is totally barbaric and inhumane and certainly changed my opinion of them. Come on U.S.A catch up with the developed world and get civilized.

No, Americans have problems. The only developed western country with no universal access to health care to citizens, while at the same time having the most expensive health care in the world (worst of both worlds, high cost-low access) causing millions of premature deaths annually, disproportionally of people of color, plus of course as already mentioned an absurdly high incarceration rate. It's hard to lecture a country like Iran (although much deserved) about their justice system from such a low moral stance.

Edited December 5, 2011 by Jingthing

[Ulysses G.]

I'm not a fan of life sentences of children, I do however look at the case of the 2 kids who killed James Bulger on Merseyside in the UK back in the early 90's...

I'm not so sure that these two should not have gotten life for this horrific crime.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_James_Bulger

[chuckd]

OMG do the yanks actually treat children like that? I actually thought they were a civilized developed country. This is totally barbaric and inhumane and certainly changed my opinion of them. Come on U.S.A catch up with the developed world and get civilized.

No, Americans have problems. The only developed western country with no universal access to health care to citizens, while at the same time having the most expensive health care in the world (worst of both worlds, high cost-low access) causing millions of premature deaths annually, disproportionally of people of color, plus of course as already mentioned an absurdly high incarceration rate. It's hard to lecture a country like Iran (although much deserved) about their justice system from such a low moral stance.

It might be interesting to read some facts to back up some of your statements.