Life without parole

http://media.causes.com/595178?p_id=3278131

 

I watched this video that someone sent me on Facebook this girl named Sara Kruzer who was sentenced to life in prison without parole at the age of 16 for killing her "pimp". In the video you could tell that Sara was and probably still is a good person who could have made something out of herself if it hadn't have been for the bad cards life dealt her. According to the video there are 2270 children serving life without parole for their crimes compared to 12 children in the rest of the world combined. So, the question here is; should kids who commit murder before the age of 18 be sentenced to life without parole?

I definitely don't think that all children who commit a severe crime should be sentenced to life without parole because there are always situations that I think give people a little more leverage over others. I also believe that people can change and most people will learn their lessons; we are all human so we all make mistakes, some bigger than others. Although there is not really an excuse for wrong doing there is always room for improvement. Sara Kruzer for example was in an abusive household and was unfortunately influenced by a man who led her to the wrong path. She couldn't have been in a proper state of mind when she murdered "G. G." and must have been in fear of her life in some way to have committed such a crime. I don't think she would have just killed him for no reason. I guess I'm just hoping she was doing it because she felt like it was her only way out of the situation she was in.

Aside from Sara Kruzer's situation, I truly believe children can change if they really want to and putting them in prison for life isn't helping them at all. Of course they deserve some type of punishment, but part of me wonders; what gives us the right to punish people for their sins? Isn't that God's job? But then again we can't just let criminals run loose around, even if there are everyday sinners walking around enjoying life, and to me no sin carries any weight.

This is a tough question to answer without having second thoughts, I personally just like to live life believing that there is some good in everyone, and we aren't born bad because bad behavior is learned by example. Sara Kruzer definitely had a lot of bad examples set for her, and she followed them like a lot of kids do. After watching the video, I really believe that she has not only learned her lesson and received enough punishment, but she is a better person and could help prevent other kids from making her mistakes by telling her story. So I end this by saying…no child should receive life in prison without the possibility of parole in which they have the chance to prove themselves worthy of a new life.