How, then, can a state which cherishes children commit some to death in prison?
Perhaps an answer might be because a child can commit crimes just as shocking and horrendous as those of adults. The child may even have pre-meditated the crime or may appear unrepentant. The public only sees the child at his or her worst. There is understandably great anger and a desire to punish. Perhaps also, the public mistakenly think that the possibility of parole is a guarantee of parole, which it is not, or that allowing the possibility of parole for a child murderer will somehow disrespect the grief of the victim’s family. Nebraska LB 307 addresses the problem Instead of a life without parole sentence for child murderers this bill mandates 50 years to life in prison for those age 16 or 17 when they committed their crime, and 40 years to life in prison for those age 15 and under. The possibility of parole, then, assuming good behavior, would come after 25 or 20 years of incarceration, depending on the offender’s age. These are more appropriate terms of incarceration for child m
