In US prisons sits 90 thousand minors. America - one of the rare countries in the world where the death penalty is sentenced teenagers from 13-14 years.

 
In US prisons sits 90 thousand minors. America - one of the rare countries in the world where the death penalty is sentenced teenagers from 13-14 years. However, in the "framework of humanisation" they replace execution with life imprisonment. Teenagers with this sentence - more than 2 thousand.
The judicial system in the United States - one of the most stringent in the world. In many ways, it contains even medieval elements. One of these elements - the ratio of systems to crimes teens. If cigarettes or alcohol in most states they will not sell to 21 year, sentence to death minors are 13 or 14 years. Only three other countries in the world to implement this right in practice - Israel, Tanzania and South Africa. However, they to death sentenced to a total of only 12 teens, while in the US - almost 2, 3000 (73 of them were sentenced in it when they were 13-14 years old).

In general, the position of the possibility to sentence a minor (under 18) to death there in 41 US states. Only in 2005 the US Supreme Court, in practice, abolished the death penalty for them, replacing it with life imprisonment. And - without the possibility of parole. Such prisoners have only one opportunity to go ever from prison - is to "earn" a terminal illness and dying to be on stage (for example, cancer or HIV).

But the judicial system varies from state to state. For example, in Florida before the court can appear as early as 12 years, the District of Columbia to death sentence with only 19 years (and even juvenile court here is valid until the age of 21), Michigan both parents once a year to pay the way there, and back to the prison where their child is sitting. In 26 states, courts may put the child to jail for what he ran away from home, or walking to school. But some important decisions are only within the competence of the federal authorities. Thus, the Supreme Court in 1980 ruled that the teenagers should be imprisoned separately from adults.

In the United States - about 3 thousand juvenile correctional institutions, including about 1 thousand - colonies. Number of children in these institutions from 10 to 300 people. 2/3 prisoners teens - color or Latinos.