Criminal Justice Case Study

During your weekly team meeting at work, your boss highlights the topic of capital punishment and specifically mentions the Roper v. Simmonscase. He feels that it is vital to your team to learn/refresh your knowledge about this case.

Each team has been assigned the task to present their findings on the case to the recently hired juvenile specialists.

Your paper should include the elements below:

1. Include      a summary of the original case in Missouri. (This section should contain      one to two paragraphs.)
2. Provide      a summary of the findings of the court. How does this decision relate to      the Eighth Amendment? (This section should contain one to two paragraphs.)
3. Summarize      your opinion on whether capital punishment is cruel and unusual punishment      for juveniles. Be sure to support your opinion.
4. Summarize      your opinion on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the case. (For parts      a-c, one to two paragraphs should be present.)
   1. Do       you agree with the ruling? Why, or why not?
   2. Should       there be any exceptions to the ruling (e.g., a 15-year-old with a record or       a 14-year-old who commits multiple murders)? Why, or why not?
   3. Can       you provide an example of an individual under 18 years of age who (you       think) should receive the death penalty? Why?
   4. Do       you think the Supreme Court will change the ruling on this in the future?       Why, or why not? (For part d, one to two paragraphs should be present       specifically for this option.)

For some assistance in your research, you may search the following organizations or sources for information involving this case:

• American      Psychological Association at http://www.apa.org/
• Casebriefs      at http://www.casebriefs.com/
• Oyez      at https://www.oyez.org/cases/2015
• Stanislaus      State at https://www.csustan.edu/
• Juvenile      Law Center at http://jlc.org/
• Death      Penalty Information Center at http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/

Your paper should be a minimum of two pages in length. All resources used should be cited and referenced in APA format.