Project Idea

I'm at the beginning stages for my final paper for law school. Yesterday I firmed up my topic, and I want to write some of it out and post it to get any initial reaction or just to start the debate.

I'm curious about the legal ramifications for and treatment of juveniles acting like adults. This would apply to issues like juvenile abortion and juvenile delinquency. I'm also planning on expanding my inquiry into issues I've become interested in because of this blog. Namely, I'll be considering the ramifications of youths having wider access to society, making a name for themselves, and interacting in an adult manner on the internet. I think that this portion of the inquiry could be the most rewarding (and interesting).

In the coming weeks I'll begin my preliminary research, talk with professors, and do some general searching to narrow my topic.

I'm very excited about this topic, though, because I feel that in an ever maturing world for juveniles the law is in a perilous positions. Roper v. Simmons (U.S. 2005) outlawed the death penalty for juveniles. This explicitly reinforces the legal treatment of juveniles as separate from adults (well, unless the Court is seeking to outlaw the death penalty all together and this was just the first step). I'm curious how this fits in with the increasing adultification of juveniles.