Johny says that 'I agree that life in prison is cruel (but not unusual) punishment for juveniles, adults, and the taxpayers. [/
We are talking about imprisoned children.
You Wayne say, "First we would need to know the rate by which the US imprisons "children" in order to compare would we not? The opposition is either one is too many or there is some other rate which is too many. Until the goal posts are settled in the discussion is only one of assumption of assumptions."
Forget it. I don't really care about how many children are imprisoned in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere around the globe. Why compare? We are talking about the US. Are the goal posts not obvious? One child is too many. Is there one child in the US incarcerated? Are there more than one? This is the math.
And from your own sources ....
http://www.handsoffcain.info/archivio_n ... 36&mover=2May 6, 2005: there are 2,100 children in jails across the Philippines, 20 of them on death row.
The figure was disclosed by Senator Ralph Recto who called on the Department of Justice to look into each of the cases of these children-prisoners languishing in overcrowded detentions nationwide.
Recto said government prosecutors and judges should "legally spring children out" of harshest conditions in many of the 1,222 jails all over the country. (Sources: Manila Standard, 07/05/2005)
http://inquest.gn.apc.org/website/polic ... -in-prisonThe ECHR is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe, incorporated into UK law as the Human Rights ActThe Human Rights Act 1998 is an Act of Parliament that incorporated the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law. 1998. All Council of Europe member states including the UK have signed the Convention. Between January 2000 and December 2010 there was a total of 129 deaths of young people (aged 21 and under) and children aged 14-17 in prison and secure training centres. This figure includes 12 self-inflicted deaths of children in penal custody.
INQUEST believes that for many young people, prison is an inappropriate place where their experience of imprisonment can contribute directly to their death. We believe there needs to be a proper understanding of how vulnerable children should be treated in the criminal justice system and are calling for a properly-resourced public inquiry into the deaths of the 31 children who have died in state custody since 1990 in the hope that proper lessons can be learnt from these tragic deaths.
INQUEST has particular concerns about the high levels of restraint used on children in custody. We have produced case briefings on the restraint related deaths in 2004 of 14 year old Adam Rickwood, who took his own life in Hassockfield Secure Training Centre shortly after being restrained by staff, and 15 year old Gareth Myatt who died following the use of a controversial method of physical control at Rainsbrook STCSecure Training Centre.
http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/stories/s516102.htmhttp://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/phi ... 30525.html[/quote]