Patricia speaks...
2Young4Life
Can you picture society with 18 year old home owners, married, owning a gun and consuming alcohol and marijuana as they please? What if the age of 18 really was the passage to full adult hood, what type of world would that be? At common law the age of majority was 21 and it wasnt until the 1970's that the state enacted legislation to lower the age of majority to 18. The terms "minor" or "infant" were historically understood and applied to persons under the age of 21, yet in today's society the age of 18 is where the line has been drawn for many purposes between childhood and adulthood, but let's be real, that line hasn't been so straight. Individuals are required to be 21 to consume alcohol or marijuana (where legal), purchase tobacco, rent a car or purchase a gun, et immigration law allows U.S citizens to request immigrant visas for unmarried children under the age of 21 and 19 year old,(like me) charged under the flawed felony murder rule, on their first offense can be sentenced to life in prison, more so individuals eligible for relief under the juvenile law have to had committed their crime before their 18th birthday.
Research in neuroscience and developmental psychology indicates that individuals between the ages of 18 and 21 share many of the same characteristics: a lack of maturity and underdeveloped sense of responsibility leading to recklessness, impulsivity and heedless risk taking. These individuals are more vulnerable to negative influences and outside pressures including from family and peers, they lack ability to extricate themselves from horrific crime reducing settings. Researchers have also found that in negative emotional situations, such as conditions of threat, young adults between the ages of 18 and 21 perform signifyingly worse than adults in their mid 20's and more like those under the age of 18. Brain-imaging studies have shown continued regional development of the prefrontal cortex, implicated in judgement and self-control beyond teen years ad into the twenties. It has been over ten years since Graham and Miller established the juvenile law, showing consideration to our youth but still not fully protecting individuals under the age of 18 - 21 from extreme sentencing. The biological and psychological development of understanding and knowing our youth is continually evolving. Research proves that young adults are more like adolescents in their behavior, psychological functioning and brain development.
In conclusion we live in a society saying that at the age 19 it is ok to spend or serve the rest of your life in prison but it's not ok for you to smoke a cigarette. There is consequences for individuals who commit serious offenses but at the same time we should be more realistic and balanced, making sure people aren't being locked away for much longer than is helpful or even necessary for society.
References: Steinberg and Scott: "Less guilty by reason of adolescence" Elizabeth S. Scott: "Young adulthood as a transitional legal category" Alexandra Cohen : "When does a juvenile become and adult."
*Patricia Roosa was sentenced under the Felony Murder Rule and is serving LWOP in Florida.
*Please sign the petition: https://www.change.org/p/create-change-with-patricia-createchangewithp?redirect=false
*Read more about Patricia on our website: https://www.deathrowsoulcollective.com/patriciaroosa
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