Which U.S. Supreme Court decision allowed the execution of juveniles who were 17 at the time of their crime?

The U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed the execution of juveniles who were 17 at the time of their crime is Stanford v. Kentucky. This case, decided in 1989, specifically upheld the constitutionality of sentencing individuals to death for crimes committed at the age of 16 or 17. The ruling was grounded in the view that the death penalty for these age groups did not violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment, due to the prevailing societal and legal standards at that time.

In contrast, later cases like Roper v. Simmons in 2005 ultimately found that executing individuals who were under 18 at the time of their crime was unconstitutional, recognizing the developmental differences and potential for rehabilitation in juveniles. Thompson v. Oklahoma also addressed the issue of juvenile death penalty but set a slightly different precedent concerning those under 16. Re-Winship focused on the burden of proof in juvenile delinquency proceedings, and not on the death penalty. Thus, the Stanford v. Kentucky decision reflects the earlier legal acceptance of death sentences for 17-year-olds in the context of the juvenile justice system.