Criminal sentencing has, or should have certain goals: Punishment, rehabilitation and deterrent value are the only ones that come to mind. Perhaps there are more.

Once convicted some programs promote rehabilitation through education, counseling, job skill training, etc.

Others convicted of heinous crimes are sent to hard-core high security or max security prisons where there is little or no attempt to rehab the inmates, just a warehousing operation. If those folks ever get out they will be at least as bad and probably worse than when they went in. Furthermore they probably received a masters degree in criminal behavior along the way.

Juvenile felons come in all sizes shapes and degrees of culpability and susceptibility to rehabilitation. There should be no one-size-fits-all punishment. Likewise there should be no blanket rule that a juvenile can’t get the death penalty or a LWOPOP sentence.

Some people are incorrigible at 13; a bad seed; a sociopath or just plain insane. There are appropriate sentences for each level, but the options should not be limited. We have to have a system that is flexible.

For those who argue against the death penalty I suggest you spend some time with the family and friends of the victims. Not only has the life and everything that victim had or ever hoped to have been taken from him or her; his or her family and friends will suffer for their lifetime as well. I find that in my heart I don’t have a problem with executing a killer or an aggravated rapist who ruins a young girl or child’s life. My problem lies with the certainty of guilt. In order to carry out a death penalty there can be no possibility that the verdict was flawed. Otherwise, it’s LWOPOP. ‘course, that’s just MHO.