Which case held that the death penalty is unconstitutional for crimes involving juveniles?

• A. Atkins v. Virginia
• B. Roper v. Simmons
• C. Graham v. Florida
• D. Kennedy v. Louisiana

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that the Constitution’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment is applied to juveniles with special protection. In Roper v. Simmons, the Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to impose the death penalty on someone for a crime committed while under the age of 18. The justices emphasized that juveniles have immature impulse control, greater capacity for change, and neurological development that distinguishes them from adults, and they noted a broad social consensus against executing juveniles. Because of these factors, applying the death penalty to juvenile offenders violates the Eighth Amendment.

To place this in context, Atkins v. Virginia deals with executing intellectually disabled individuals, not juveniles. Graham v. Florida extends protections to juveniles by saying life without parole cannot be imposed for non-homicide offenses, but it does not authorize the death penalty for juveniles. Kennedy v. Louisiana limits the death penalty in cases involving non-lethal crimes against persons, such as certain child-rape scenarios, but again this is not about juveniles themselves as offenders. So Roper uniquely establishes that death sentences for crimes committed by someone under 18 are unconstitutional.