Thesis: Although many people believe that children should be treated

the same as adults, I agree with the Supreme Court's decision

because children lack maturity, they are not evolutionarily developed,
and their lives would be wasted if they are forced to spend them in
prison.

Evidence:

Text from Source The Q,P,S Citation

Counter Argument:

1 But it is impossible at the time of sentencing (Garinger 94)

Paragraphs 9, Lines 1-5 for mental health professionals to predict
which youngsters will fall within the majority
that grow up to be productive, law-abiding
citizens and which will fall into the small
minority that continue to commit crimes.

2 While research on brain-tissue loss can help (Thompson 90)

Paragraph 11, Line 1 us to understand teens better, it cannot be
used to excuse their violent or homicidal
behavior.

Body paragraph 1:

3 Adolescents are less able to understand or (Pequeneza)

Video take into considerations how their actions
affect others.

4 Compared to adults, kids are more (Garinger 93)

Paragraph 6, Lines 4-6 vulnerable to peer pressure, are easily
influenced, and are less able to escape from
their environments, all while their characters
are still in formation.

5 A majority of children serving time for crimes (Pequeneza)

Video they committed, committed their crimes along
side of an adult.

Body Paragraph 2:

6 Researchers were dumbfounded when they (Thompson 89)

Paragraph 7 discovered a massive loss of Grey Brain
matter (which supports our thinking and
emotions) that occurs during a brains
teenage years of development, in every
 single brain they studied.

7 Brain imaging studies reveal that the regions (Garinger 93)

Paragraph 5, Lines 4-6 of the adolescent brain responsible for
controlling thoughts, actions and emotions
are not fully developed.

8 From the ages 12 to 17, there isn't a drastic (Harris 3)

Page 3, Level of difference shown in the types of crimes
Offense Chart 1 committed by kids, all ages are committing
the level of offenses.

Body Paragraph 3:

9 59.6% of children in Adult court convictions (Harris 52)

Page 52, Convictions are immediately sent to adult prison with no
Chart 1 probation.

10 Research suggests that adolescents (Lundstrom 88)

Page 88 Paragraph 22 squeezed through the adult system are more
Lines 2-4 likely to come out as violent career criminals
than similar kids handed on the juvenile
side.

11 With 2,500 inmates sentenced to life as (Pequeneza)

Video children, 128 of them have a chance of
release.

12 Few believe that criminal genes are (Garinger 93)

Paragraph 7 Lines 2-4 inherited, except in the sense that parental
abuse and negative home lives can leave
children with little hope and limited choices.