As citizens, persons under the age of 18 cannot vote, serve on juries, make medical decisions for themselves or enter into contracts. We do notpermit children to conduct these activities because we generally believe that they lack a full appreciation for the consequences of their actions. We, as a society, truncate the political rights of this group because they need protection, but pass laws in order to execute them. In Texas, the injustice of this situation is further exacerbated by the fact that Robert Carter was automatically treated as an adult, with no procedure for examining his individual levels of maturity and ability to understand his crime. However, the purposes ostensibly served by capital punishment of adults are not served by the execution of juveniles.
Retribution is also an unsatisfactory justification for the juvenile death penalty.
A person simply cannot be held to that degree of culpability and accountability for acts committed as a child as would an adult. Executing this man and others who are on death row for their crimes committed as children serves no principled purpose, and only demeans us all. We urge you to use your power and influence to end the practice of imposing the death penalty on anyone for crimes committed while under the age of 18, starting with Robert Carter.