ENG 1020--RJA #8a

Lotts is one of at least 73 U.S. inmates -- most of them minorities -- who were sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in prison for crimes committed when they were 13 or 14, according to the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit organization in Alabama that defends indigent defendants and prisoners. Lotts is part of a trend that has developed over the past two decades. Numerous studies have shown that in the 1970s and 1980s, minors were rarely given life sentences, let alone life without parole, experts said. By the early 1990s, according to the Department of Justice, an alarming spike in juvenile homicides spawned a nationwide crackdown, including a movement to try kids in adult courts. (http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/04/08/teens.life.sentence/index.html)

• In today's world, there are a scary number of juveniles serving life sentences without the possibility of parole. This is something that would make a man who died in the 70s scratch his head. During that time juveniles never really recieved harsh capital punishments. "Numerous studies have shown that in the 1970s and 1980s, minors were rarely given life sentences, let alone life without parole, experts said." Even since the start of the 1990s, juveniles started to recieve the harshest penalties America can offer because of the disturbing amount of juvenile homocides which began to sporadically come about. This was highly due to gangs across America.

• Paraphrase-- Over the past four decades, juveniles and capital punishment have came a long way. In the 70s and 80s it was not often that a juvenile was given a life sentence without parole, but now its not uncommon to see a juvenile being tried in an adult court. It happens quite frequently because of a spike in juvenile homocides across the United States.

• Summarize-- There are over seventy inmates in United States prisons serving life sentences without parole for crimes they committed at the age of 13 and 14, one being Quantel Lotts. Lotts is part of a trend of juveniles being sentenced extremely harshly in adult court. This is happening because of a nation wide spike in the 90s of juvenile homocides across America. This is a big change from how it was in the 70s and 80s when it was rare to see a juvenile be sentenced to life without parole.