Our country is one of the four countries since 2000 to execute adolescents. In the past five years, the United States has executed 13 juvenile offenders, three in the year 2002 alone. Eight of these executions took place in the state of Texas. The rest of the world combined carried out five such executions. Scott Hain was executed in Oklahoma on April 13 of this year, making the US the first country to execute a juvenile offender in 2003 (Death …showed first 75 words of 1361 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1361 total…capacities like judgment and management of impetuous behavior (Kresnak 3). All of the previous factors reinforce the decision not to allot the death penalty to juveniles, yet the United States government ignores and executes them. Senator Feingold voiced, "I don't think we should be proud of the fact that the United States is the world leader in the execution of child offenders" (Death Penalty). Many agree and have to question, what has come to our country?