Locked up for life at 13

I hope this gets looked into, because this is not what the US should be known for!!

How many white kids has Florida sentenced to life in prison? Jailing blacks is the south's own version of ethnic cleansing.

Perhaps a young Micheal Meyers? You guys know what happens if mike gets out, don't you?

Messed up.
Didn't kill anyone then you have a chance at rehab and further your life.
Like to know the back story on the raci.... uh.. i mean the judge that sentenced him.
I live in Central Fla and know first hand the corruption that existed in the 70's,80's and 90's amongst judges and cops.
There are innocent locked up. Both black and white. If you are a detective you can not have too many unresolved cases. If you do you will not keep a job.And the cops are outnumbered by the scum down here.
And there is STILL racial profiling going on.
There is defiantly still an "old boy" element happening.

Being locked up like that sounds like the most terrible thing that could happen. Yet it is still hard to feel compassion for people who kill or rape. Maybe we as a society are just as cruel. but hey people will think twice when committing such crimes if they know the consequences are very severe

The United States has 5 percent of the world's population and 25 percent of the world's prisoners. Criminologists have found that when too many people are incarcerated the crime rate actually increases. Imagine if we spent some of the $60 billion a year prisons cost on education, job training and healthcare.

US Judicial system has become a profitable industry.
This corrupt system

1) Grants full immunity to prosecutors and judges and no one is held accountable for wrongly convicted,

2) Laws and sentencing are passed to keep prisons full for longer periods "The High Cost of Empty Prisons" http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/opinion/12gangi.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

3) Prisons for profit. Corporations are running many Americans prisons. 1 in every 100 Americans is now locked behind bars. As the prison population grows faster than the government can build prisons, private companies see an opportunity for profit.

4) Great number of Lobbyists are in positions to pass new laws, and vote for longer incarceration and overincarceration which sacrificing public safety to maximize profits http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/419/video.html

race has NOTHING to do with it. it has EVERYTHING to do with the crime. ANYONE who cant see those lines between right and wrong should NEVER be crossed and blurs them to me is just evil. evil cant be rehabilitated. those poor victims could be "rehabilitated", but you cant wipe those memories and fear away. i don't care how cruel OTHER country's see it. we still have the best and most cushy jail systems in the world. you do the crime you lose your freedom. period and thats how it SHOULD be. not to teach you some sort of moral lesson, but to protect society. maybe i am cold and cynical but im not the one hurting people, getting punished for it and then crying foul.

Life without parole is such an extreme sentence, and to be honest, i am not opposed to it if it fits the crime. when it comes to children, i think it needs to be on a strict case to case basis, with all other options considered. It is terrible, but i am not inclined to sympathize with rapists no matter their age.

Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

juveniles now a days are locked up because of privatized prison systems that give bonuses to judges. its a total shit storm.

I feel that our justice system is flawed but at the same time there are a lot of people that are in prison for very good reasons. How would you feel if that 13 year old was the one to rape and beat your daughter. You would want justice no matter the cost on end. Its all about holding people accountable for their own wrong doings. Granted I don't feel that crinimals deserve more rights than the average individual in this country because prison is supposed to be a punishment- not a vacation. We pay huge amounts of money so that many of these offenders eat better than the poorest person living on the streets. How is it that we would rather make sure that our prisoners get three meals a day but are unable to make sure that a hungry family has enough to put in their bellies? Do 13 year old's deserve a life sentence? Does it fit the crime is the question.

rape? at 13. they should be in jail for life. they do know better. anyone who sexually assaults someone else, should have their life taken away, no matter how old they are, they will not change. Same thing for pedophiles, should be killed. I dont care what their race is, if they are raping people, they should be punished for it.

Will someone please define "rehab" within the prison system.

The U.S.A. is so 'phucked' up it's not even funny.

do the crime, do the time !

I'm Sorry, But i hope they don't change anything. How about i Rape you and see if you want me to be running the streets again.

A child should never be sentenced as an adult. We have juvenile laws to deal with children and they need rehabilitation not being sent away for life with adults who will abuse them and take advantage of them in prison. They are children!!!!

Ok rewrite the story as this:

"The U.S. is the only country that sentences Black juveniles to life in prison without parole. Will the Supreme Court declare it unconstitutional?

Iraq doesn't do it. North Korea considers it a cruel form of punishment. But in the United States sentencing a juvenile to life in prison without the possibility of parole when its a black, is legal.

"There are about 2,500 juveniles, mostly Black (ranging in age from 13 to 18) currently sentenced to life in prison in the United States."

Horrendous!

There are so many reasons this is wrong. The US is putting a life sentence on these poor kids when they could possibly be rehabilitaded.

If you treat people as dangerous animals, locking them in cages and telling them that they will never have freedom again, they will behave as animals until the day of their death.

Most of these people have serious mental problems or have grown up living terrible lives as children. They need rehabilitation, not maddening confinement if they are ever to improve. Yes, they are dangerous people. But they are still people.

Criminologists have found that when too many people are incarcerated the crime rate actually increases.
And to those who blindly believe in our judicial system, do you really think the person will be "corrected" in the correctional facility? The reality is a person becomes violent in the prison system.

Here you go Mr. Glenn Beck! And you think racial profiling is not an issue in this country.

There is no way to deny the fact that race matters. This is a quintessential example of racial profiling in this country. I for one certainly believe that ALL people can be rehabilitated no matter what the offense.