Roper and Race: the Nature and Effects of Death Penalty Exclusions for Juveniles and the “Late Adolescent Class”

Abstract In Roper v. Simmons (2005), the US Supreme Court raised minimum age at which someone could be subjected to capital punishment, ruling that no one under of 18 time their crime sentenced death. The present article discusses legal context and rationale by established current age-based limit on death penalty eligibility as well scientific basis for a recent American Psychological Association Resolution recommended extending include members “late adolescent class” (i.e., persons from 20 years old). addition, we new data address little-discussed but important racial/ethnic implications these limits both already exclusion APA-proposed late class. fact, much higher percentage in class who were post- era non-White, suggesting would help remedy this problematic pattern.