As in several other states, Kentucky passed legislation to get tough with juveniles and battle a rising tide of delinquency and violent crime. The necessity of this policy was unquestioned. This analysis examines national juvenile crime statistics and data on juvenile homicides in Kentucky. It uses the Barnett scale to examine whether juvenile murderers were more deliberate, random, or vicious killers over time. The results of the study do not support the get tough movement or the continued availability of the death penalty for juveniles in Kentucky.
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Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy. (2003, February). Juvenile death penalty opinions, nationally and in Kentucky. Legislative update covering criminal justice legal issues (No. 16). Retrieved July 23, 2004, from http://dpa.ky.gov/library/legupd/no.16,03/ch2.html
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Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). (1999). Juvenile offenders and victims. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.
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Ogloff, J. R. P. (1987). The juvenile death penalty: A frustrated society’s attempt at control. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 5, 447-455.
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OJJDP statistical briefing book. (2000, December). Retrieved March 5, 2002, from http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/ojstatbb/qa255.html
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Rowley, J. C., Ewing, C. P.,& Singer, S. I. (1987). Juvenile homicide: The need for an interdisciplinary approach. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 5, 1-10.
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Streib, V. L. (1987). Death penalty for juveniles. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
