Juvenile homicide offenders: do they become more responsible over time?
Recent decisions involving the sentencing of convicted juvenile homicide offenders (JHOs) by the United States Supreme Court have taken into consideration that juveniles are developmentally immature and, with rare exceptions, can be rehabilitated. This chapter investigates whether the Supreme Court...
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| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
Routledge handbook of homicide studies
Year: 2024, Pages: 759-787 |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Summary: | Recent decisions involving the sentencing of convicted juvenile homicide offenders (JHOs) by the United States Supreme Court have taken into consideration that juveniles are developmentally immature and, with rare exceptions, can be rehabilitated. This chapter investigates whether the Supreme Court is correct in positing that most JHOs will mature over time by examining one indicator of maturity, taking responsibility for the effects of one’s behavior. This study evaluates whether 22 JHOs saw themselves as accountable for the harm that resulted in the homicidal incident at two points in time: shortly after their conviction and confinement in adult prison when they were teenagers (Time 1) and 35 years later (Time 2) when they were men in their early 50s. The study assesses the JHOs’ perceptions of themselves as accountable at Time 1 and Time 2, compares change in accountability over time, and then examines accountability or its absence in the context of post release failure, as measured by reincarceration. Findings did not support the hypothesis that posited JHOs would see themselves as more accountable over time. Modest support was found for the hypothesis that JHOs who saw themselves as accountable for the consequences of their participation in the homicidal event would be less likely to be reincarcerated. Implications of this exploratory study and its limitations are discussed. |
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| Item Description: | Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 785-787 |
| ISBN: | 9781032506593 |