Execution of Juvenile Offenders
Why Some Countries Continue to Execute Juveniles
Most of the world has abolished the death penalty for juvenile criminal offenders. The few countries that continue to execute minors for criminal offenses, Iran, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, do so for violations of religious codes, or qesas, even though they have abolished the death penalty for juvenile offenders who commit capital offenses. In these countries, a clear distinction is made between violation of the civil codes and “crimes against God.” Crimes against God are punishable by death (Convention on the Rights of the Child).
Death Penalty for Juvenile Offenders in the U.S.
The U.S. does not have a death penalty for juvenile offenders. The execution of juvenile offenders in the U.S. stopped in 2005 when the United States Supreme Court overturned the death penalty for juvenile offender in Roper v. Simmons (Death Penalty Information Center).
Last U.S. Execution of a Person who Committed a Crime as a Minor
The last execution in the U.S of a person who committed a crime as a minor was carried out in Oklahoma on April 3, 2003. Scott Allen Hain was put to death for crimes he committed when was 17 years old, the kidnapping and murder of a couple. He was 32 at the time of execution (Death Penalty Information Center).
U.S. Failure to Ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child
There are several opinions as to why the U.S. has yet to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). One of them is that the U.S. has a history of not ratifying international treaties. Another reason is that the CRC has to be ratified by each of the 50 states, and critics against the CRC doubt the necessity of ratifying the treaty because the U.S. already follows the provisions of the CRC under its own code of laws (CRC FAQs- Myths and Facts).
Political and religious conservatives are the most zealous opponents of the ratification (CRC FAQs- Myths and Facts). Political conservatives do not like the idea of what they consider international control over our domestic policy. Religious conservatives are against Article 14 of the CRC, which states that children should have freedom to choose their own religion.
References
Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved 30 May 2012 from:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm
CRC FAQs- Myths and Facts. The Campaign for U.S. Ratification of the Convention on
the Rights of the Child (CRC). Retrieved 30 May 2012 from:
http://congressionaldigest.com/issue/childrens-rights/campaign-for-the-u-s-ratification-of-the-convention-on-the-rights-of-the-child/
Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved 30 May 2012 from:
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/juveniles-and-death-penalty
