More insights on the death penalty for juvenile offenders

While the Blakely world remains relatively calm as everyone awaits the Supreme Court’s decision in Booker and Fanfan, the nation’s newspapers have turned their focus toward tomorrow’s High Court argument in Roper v. Simmons which will address the continued constitutionality of executing offenders who committed their crimes as a juvenile. This article provides basic background on the case, while this piece notes the impact that research on the number of juvenile death sentences by Columbia law professor Jeffery Fagan could have on the case.

Relatedly, the Dallas Morning News has interesting articles here and here which continue the paper’s first-rate coverage of a range of issue relating to juvenile offenders and the administration of capital punishment. Providing a medical angle on this issues, this interesing op-ed is penned by a child psychiatrist and urges the abolition of the death penalty for juvenile offenders.

UPDATE: As he does so well, Howard Bashman at How Appealing has helpfully collected here additional newpaper coverage of the Roper case. He also continues to tantilize with a promise that later tonight he “will have a detailed post highlighting some of the particularly interesting facets of this case.”