The U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development has endorsed a national campaign to end the practice of sentencing people under the age of 18 to life in prison without possibility of parole. “While there is no question that violent and dangerous youth need to be confined for their safety and that of society, the [conference] does not support provisions that treat children as though they are equal to adults in their moral and cognitive development,” said Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, Calif., chairman of the committee. “Life sentences without parole eliminate the opportunity for rehabilitation or second chances.” The federal government and 38 states allow youths to be sentenced to life without possibility of parole. Currently, over 2,500 young people are serving such sentences. According to Amnesty International, the United States is the only country that imposes this sentence upon children.
No Life Sentences For Minors
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
An interview on economics and Catholic social teaching with Joseph E. Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize winning economist and a professor at Columbia University.
Lesson one: I had to buy more stamps.
Celebrating the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea should give new energy to evangelization efforts, a new document from the International Theological Commission says.
In this episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell walk us through the pontiff’s recovery, including “slight improvements” in his speech.