Scholarly Activity

This unit discussed capital punishment along with relevant court cases. In this activity, you will discuss the Roper v. Simmons case. Resources are provided below. 

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/

 

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