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 * Teens locked up for life without a second chance**

__Summary:__ This article is about a 14 year old minor, Quantel Lotts, who stabbed his step-brother, 17 year old Michael Barton, twice sometime during the 1990’s. They started out with a playful game, shooting each other with blowguns. It then turned into a life or death situation when Lotts grabbed a knife. His step-brother arrived at the hospital dead.

__Adolescent Defendant Side:__ Lotts is now in his twenties and hoping to be released. He knows he is guilty, but has hopes to go to college and perhaps become a lawyer. It is his argument that a great number of juvenile and adult offenders are given second chances. And, during the 1970’s and 80’s minors rarely were sentenced for life. Now, only a few states prohibit sentencing a minor without parole.

__Prosecutor Side__: The department of Justice claims that juvenile homicides have increased dramatically since the 90’s leading to stricter sentences. This was also the cause for minors to be tried in adult courts. Therefore, due to the fact that Lotts committed a serious crime, first degree murder, he was sent to the Criminal Court and was treated as an adult.

__Outcome:__ In 2002, Lotts was sentenced to a life in prison by the Missouri’s St. Francois County Circuit Court. Without parole and for first degree murder, there seemed to be no hope and no future for him. In 2012 Lotts will be sent to court again and maybe this time, he will have a better chance assimilating with his community once again.

__Explication:__ In our English class we discussed the definition of adolescence and how our culture views and treats our youth. This article, alike with //The Crucible//, shows how teenagers' actions are taken just as seriously as adults'. They receive the same consequences even if they don’t quite understand how or what happened. The trial seems a bit unjust because Lotts does not have the option to go on parole when many other criminals have that privilege. The trial would not be different if the defendant was not an adolescent, since he is dealt with the same as an adult. It is almost impossible to know if a convict is truly reformed, but I think the court should at least let him be on parole. In my opinion, prisons are not just supposed to be a place to throw away criminals, it a place of reformation. So, if a criminal has been reformed, then he should be able to be accepted back into society.



Chen, S. (2008). Teens locked up for life without a second chance. //CNN News//, Retrieved from []