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A New Standard of Decency

May 17, 2010Monday?s welcome Supreme Court decision, banning sentences of life without parole for juvenile criminals who do not commit murder, recognizes that children mature and should not be irrevocably punished for a childhood act short of killing. But it also recognizes that nations mature ? that standards of justice and constitutional principles change over the centuries and should be reinterpreted by new generations.Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for a five-member majority, acknowledged that permanent life sentences for juveniles might not have been historically recognized as cruel and unusual punishment but should now be considered unconstitutional because of ?evolving standards of decency.?Justice John Paul Stevens stated the case simply and elegantly in a concurring opinion:?Society changes,? he wrote...continue to full post

Full post as published by Lethal Injection on July 01, 2010 (boomark / email).