Complete research paper will include
- This project will include a written paper, small poster w/ images and text explaining the case.
Roper v. Simmons (2005)
Holding: It is cruel and unusual punishment to execute persons for crimes they committed before age 18.
Matthew Simmons was sentenced to death for the murder of a woman when he was 17 years of age. In the 1988 case Thompson v. Oklahoma, the Supreme Court ruled that executing persons for crimes committed at age 15 or younger constitutes cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment. Roper argued that “evolving standards of decency” prevented the execution of an individual for crimes committed before the age of 18. A majority of the Supreme Court agreed with Roper and held that to execute him for his crime would violate the Eighth Amendment.
