Does LWOP for juveniles violate the 8th amendment?

In the 8th amendment it states "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted." Life without parole for juveniles directly violates this amendment because the punishment of being sentenced to life with absolutely no opportunity for release is extremely cruel and unusual. It was found unconstitutional to give juveniles the death sentence by the United States Supreme Court in 2005, but what is the difference between the two? In my opinion the death sentence and being sentenced until death are the same punishment because either way, that person dies as a convicted criminal with no chance of rehabilitation. "When I die, that's when they'll send me home," said Charles T. from article Teenagers Sentenced to Die in California Prisons. When Charles says this he means that even though he doesn't have the death sentence, he will still die as a prisoner. Juveniles that have been sentenced to LWOP don't have the opportunity to prove rehabilitation, and in the case of these adolescents, rehabilitation is more likely. Advances in neuroscience prove that teenagers continue to develop, and are still developing during their sentence, in ways that are relevant to being able to "learn their lesson". A person under the age of 18 has a brain that is still developing, they are still very immature, which makes them have limited comprehension of risk and consequences and the inability to act with adult-like volition. Being a teenager under the age of 18, I can agree that I have yet to grasp certain concepts that adults have, and looking back at my earlier teenage years I can prove how much I have developed and matured in that short time. Even in the sort time-span of a year, going for 16 to 17, I have noticed a drastic change in my maturity and common sense. Last year I used to be irresponsible and put myself in extremely dangerous situations, and it is not until now that I realize how dangerous they really were, or how severe the consequences could have been. Coming from a teenager, and an informed student, I believe that sentencing life without parol for juveniles is cruel and unusual, going directly against the 8th amendment.

International Woman's Day

Paige Ryan

My mother, Paige Ryan, is by far the woman I appreciate the most. Since 9 months before the day I was born my mother has sacrificed everything just to make my life a little better. From little things like taking care of me when I am sick, to bigger issues like making our entire family together again. When I was about 7 my mom turned her life around not only to better herself, but to better mine and my siblings' life. When we were just kids my mom and dad both had drinking problems, which made our whole family disconnected, but luckily my mom turned everything around. She made the hard decision to move me, my brother, my sister, and herself to live in Arizona. At the time I hated her for making us move to that horrible place, but now I appreciate how much she sacrificed just to get sober. While she was in Arizona she decided to get clean and go to rehab. It was a horrible 9 months living without her but she came back a new person. She was my amazing mom but a billion times better. I appreciate my mom so much for risking everything for my family and for me, and now she still sacrifices everything just to make my life a little better. A lot of the time its the little things she does, like texting me when its my dad's week to tell me how great of a person I am, and how proud she is of me and how much she loves me. I love my mom an incredible amount and appreciate her more than anyone does I would like to think. She is the most amazing woman and she deserves to be honored not only today but everyday.