Supreme Court Case: Kent Vs. United States

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Have you heard of the Supreme Court case “Kent vs. United States”? A 16-year-old African American boy by the name of Morris A. Kent Jr. was tried as an adult for assault charges of multiple home burglaries, robberies, and rape assaults. Police detained Morris and took him into court trial. In 1966, racism became a whole new meaning in the Supreme Court, and this case is one of the key reasons why racism is still alive in the United States. Teenagers can be tried as adults after several convictions, but what you don’t know is that teenagers can be sentenced to life in prison after committing a homicide. In this prestigious case, the juvenile court waived its jurisdiction, which allowed Kent Jr. to be tried as an adult and gave allowance to be locked up in prison (National Report Series N.P.). Morris had been on probation since he was fourteen years old and was taken into custody by his mother (National Report Series 2). On September 2, 1961, “somebody broke into a women’s apartment, took her wallet, and…show more content…
“States became more lenient with juvenile officers and adult punishments after this case ended” (Reuters 9). Teens can be tried as adults at any age and can be sentenced to life in prison if a homicide has been committed (Reuters 13). Juveniles can be tried as adults, but they must be afforded full due process throughout the proceedings. “Morris Kent’s lawyer sought to have the criminal indictment dismissed, and argued that the waiver was invalid” (Reuters 12). Kent Jr. also appealed the waiver and filed a summons of habeas corpus requesting the state to justify Kent’s detention (Reuters 21). The court rejected Kent’s request, which admitted him to proceed to the jail sentence (Reuters 21). This case is about the sixth Amendment, and Morris Kent broke that amendment by convicting several charges of criminal prosecutions – rape, burglary, and

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