Children Deserve a Second Chance

I urge you to oppose SB746 (Bernskoetter), HB1659 (Roberts), and any similar bills that strip away parole chances for kids convicted of 2nd degree murder and allow 14 year old children to be tried as adults. These bills set the age at which children can be tried as adults at 14 years old, this should be raised to at least 16. The Supreme Court has upheld a string of cases based on the idea that children are less culpable than adults, even when committing serious crimes. Children are less deterred by punishment, more vulnerable to peer, familial or situational pressure, and their personalities less fixed, which means there's a greater possibility for rehabilitation. Kids should be parole eligible and not doomed to a life in prison for a crime they committed as a child. Whether offenders are released from prison is up to the Missouri Probation and Parole Board. This bill takes control out of the Parole Board's hands in determining what is best for the offender and for society. I urge you to oppose these bills because kids deserve a second chance.