Roper v. Simmons (March 2005)

The Court held the death penalty for individuals younger than 18 is cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment. The death penalty is reserved for individuals who commit the most serious crimes “and whose extreme culpability makes them the most deserving of execution.” Because of the differences between children and adults, the court held “juvenile offenders cannot with reliability be classified among the worst offenders.” In particular, youth lack maturity and have “an underdeveloped sense of responsibility,” they are “more vulnerable or susceptible to negative influences and outside pressures, including peer pressure.” These differences lower a child’s culpability and “render suspect any conclusion that a juvenile falls among the worst offenders.”