Juvenile Justice

 For an in-class essay, a one-sentence attention getter is all you get before you have to get down to business.  Provide general background information on the issue you will be discussing in the essay  Transition to your thesis  Thesis

Your thesis is where you argue for or against juveniles being eligible for life without parole in murder cases (including the 2 reasons you will hit in your body paragraphs).

 Deal with the other side in a short paragraph after your introduction. You do not need to use quotes in this paragraph, but you should refer to specific arguments made by the opposition.  If you think that life in prison is necessary for certain juveniles who commit murder, you need to address the concerns of youth and its qualities.  If you think that life sentences are cruel and unusual for juveniles, you need to acknowledge the problem with releasing someone who committed a serious crime back into society.  Concession = they are a little right, but I am more right  Refutation = they are utterly wrong

 Your concession paragraph should introduce two arguments made by the opposition. They should be summary or paraphrase.  The paragraph should take this form: ◦ Opposition’s argument ◦ Your Refutation/Concession ◦ Opposition’s argument ◦ Your Refutation/Concession

 Example Frames: ◦ Critics/supporters of _____________ argue __________________. While it is true ______________, it is more important to focus on ________________. ◦ While critics/supporters of _____________ are correct in pointing out __________________, they fail to recognize ______________________. ◦ Critics/supporters of _____________ who argue __________________ are incorrect because ________.

 Every paragraph should have a topic sentence/ paragraph thesis within the first few lines. These should be the two topics you presented in your thesis.  Each should be an ARGUABLE, SPECIFIC opinion that supports your thesis.  Make sure they are distinct from one another.  They should not be facts or questions  Organize paragraphs based on theme rather than text. Use more than one source in each paragraph.

 Carefully pick evidence that supports your argument.  It is better to use factually-based evidence than other people’s opinions, when possible.  Use evidence that allows you to comment on it. If you pick someone else’s commentary as your evidence, you may not have any commentary of your own to add.

According to Jennifer Bishop Jenkins in her article “On Punishment and Teen Killers,” “Legislative proposals for reforming JLWOP have been retroactive but without any victim notification, in full violation of constitutionally protected victims’ rights.” No citation necessary when you introduce the author before the quote.

According to the Supreme Court ruling in 2005, juvenile offenders “are less mature, more vulnerable to peer pressure, cannot escape from dangerous environments, and their characters are still in formation” (qtd. in Garinger).

 Commentary is the portion of your essay where you analyze and explain your argument.  Your CDs should always be followed by commentary.  Don’t restate the quote or preach to your reader. You

 Revisit (without restating exactly) your thesis and supporting reasons.  Leave the reader with an “Ah ha.”  If you are really clever, make your last line refer to or link up with the attention getter in the introduction.