Our teenage years are historically known for exploration. It is understood in society that throughout adolescence, adolescents will make decisions, both good and bad, from which they will learn and grow. But what happens when they are pushed too far, when they see no other way out, or when a simple stupid mistake goes horribly wrong? When and where should we draw the line for American teenagers? There are only 12 juveniles serving life sentences without parole in the rest of the world. Is it really necessary for America that 2,200 people be sentenced to life without parole for murder crimes committed before the age of 18? A minor is legally defined as persons. below a certain age limit. Eighteen is generally the legal age of majority here in America (West). Even though legally eighteen makes you an adult, studies should show that it does not end our childhood development (Ritter). Massive development continues for at least the next seven years. They discovered this by using an MRI machine or magnetic resonance imaging machine to map blood flow to areas of the brain when shown various stimuli. They tested a group of people aged 10 to 25. They showed each person a picture and then observed the blood flow in their brain. They found that when adults saw the image, their limbic area, emotions, and prefrontal cortex lit up, which helped us navigate through intense feelings and emotional situations using judgment and reasoning. They had an emotional reaction with appropriate judgment and reasoning behind that emotion. When the teens saw the same image, their tests showed that their limbic area was bright but almost nothing in their prefrontal cortex was lit. They had an emotional reaction for no reason... middle of paper... a way to rehabilitate them. That doesn't mean the more than 2,000 life-without-parole inmates will be retried, and it doesn't mean a juvenile won't get that sentence. All that means is that the judge really needs to look at all the pieces of the case before sentencing a teenager to life in prison (Savage). Even with this court ruling, life in prison remains a huge deal in America. Is spending the rest of your life in prison for doing something while you were still a child an appropriate punishment or does it just reinforce the fact that you can never grow up once you make a mistake, there is no return, no improvement. Through this research, you can see the good and the bad in people, as well as the human errors that make this topic so difficult to separate. The children here are the ones who fell through the cracks, the ones who had no one to turn to, and they ended up paying the price..