Many juveniles are well into adulthood by the time they face execution. Seventy-three percent committed their crimes at age 17. Sixty-three percent are minorities. They are on death row in 16 different States. They have been on death row for periods ranging from a few months to more than 21 years.
Little information exists to characterize juvenile capital offenders beyond bare demographics.
Although the 1976 Gregg decision established that the court must consider mitigating circumstances, capital offenders are often represented by public defenders or other appointed counsel who often do not have the time or resources to adequately investigate mitigating factors such as psychiatric history, family issues, and mental capacity. Thus, a complete profile of capital offenders is difficult to obtain, because detailed information about them is seldom available. The few researchers who have examined this information have added to the profile of juveniles sentenced to the death penalty. Through these comprehensive assessments, Lewis and colleagues found that all 14 had sustained head injuries as children. Seven were psychotic at the time of evaluation or had been diagnosed in early childhood.