Answer :
Final answer:
The Supreme Court's 'evolving standards of decency' principle has determined that the death penalty may not be applied to individuals who were under 18 at the time of their offense.
Explanation:
The "evolving standards of decency" analysis espoused by the U.S. Supreme Court in Trop v. Dulles (1958) has subsequently been used by the Court to decide whether the imposition of the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment for certain groups of offenders.
The correct answer to the question is that the death penalty may not be applied to those who were under 18 when they committed a crime.
This is in line with the Supreme Court's decisions that have increased protections for certain categories of offenders, recognizing that the societal standards have evolved and that certain applications of the death penalty could be deemed disproportionate or excessive.
