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Honoring the youth defense community today on the 20th anniversary of Roper v. Simmon #youthdefense #ropervsimmons #adolescentdevelopment #collectiveaction #collectivepower
20 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court in Roper v. Simmons held that youth must be treated differently, recognizing the science behind adolescence. Declaring the death penalty unconstitutional for children, the highest court of our land spoke to the potential of growth inherent in every single child. This landmark decision not only marks the start of a developmental jurisprudence, but it is also a testament to the collective action of the youth defense community refusing to accept the status quo. In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the death penalty for youth in Stanford v. Kentucky, proclaiming that it was “absurd” to consider maturity and that “socioscientific, ethicoscientific, or even purely scientific evidence is not an available weapon.” Nonetheless, the youth defense community persisted. What held greater power than the Supreme Court’s dismissal of adolescent development was the collective action of youth defenders who kept fighting. And 16 years later, the Supreme Court ruled, “as any parent knows and as the scientific and sociological studies . . . confirm, a lack of maturity and an underdeveloped sense of responsibility are found in youth more often than in adults and are more understandable among the young.” As we honor the legacy of the youth defense community who fought relentlessly for courts to recognize the developmental potential of youth, we find assurance in our collective power. Now more than ever, we hold on to the words of Mariame Kaba who taught us, “So, how do we make change happen? You, as an individual, are only a tiny pebble in a vast sea. We can personally make ripples, but it takes collective action to make waves.” In this moment where uncertainty breeds fear, we remember how our once radical imaginations became reality, and we can do it again. As we look toward a new horizon, one filled with wholeness and dignity, we are committed to making waves, together, until the day every young person is free to thrive.
March 1, 2025 at 2:40 PM