In: Statistics and Probability
In Roper vs Simmons, the US Supreme Court ruled that juvenile defendants can no longer be sentenced to death in a capital trial. They cited information submitted by the American Psychological Association showing that age is correlated with impulsiveness (young people are often impulsive, a factor that might lead them to commit a homicide). Imagine the Court is unsure whether to categorize 16-, 17-, 18-, or 19-year-olds as adults or as juveniles. However, they do have an impulsiveness threshold. If the defendant’s impulsiveness score (Y') is lower than or equal to an impulsiveness threshold of 50 set by the Court, the defendant will be considered a juvenile and thus will be ineligible for the death penalty. Using X for age (the predictor variable) with a slope (b) of 2 an α of 14, are 19-year-olds eligible for the death penalty? What about 16-, 17-, and 18-year-olds?