Court Opinion

ID: 9496488
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 16:27:58.276243+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:57:36.629400
License: Public Domain

LAY, Circuit Judge,
concurring:
I strongly endorse and join in Judge Ferguson’s opinion as it constitutes an outstanding exposition relating to the sentencing of juvenile offenders under the Federal Juvenile Delinquency Act (FJDA), 18 U.S.C. § 5031 et seq. To sentence a young man to a long prison term as did the district court is to provide the catalyst for dehumanization, turning juvenile offenders into hardened criminals, away from youthful pursuits and toward a life of crime. The price our Nation pays in filling our prisons with young people who have committed a crime not only exacts an exorbitant economic cost, but more importantly uses the full force of the law to create a human waste that cannot be measured. Judge Ferguson’s opinion will not only become the beacon light for the sensible treatment of juvenile offenders, but also focus attention on the overall punitive sentencing procedures that are currently applied in federal court. In my judgment, this opinion serves as one of the strongest statements that a federal judge has made as it relates to the overall sentencing of human beings.