The United States is one of a small smattering of countries around the world that still allows the execution of juvenile offenders. It is one of our nation's greatest shames. Here's the company we keep:

In the past four years, only five nations have executed juveniles, the diplomats said: Congo, China, Iran, Pakistan and the United States.

Today, Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev, the American Medical Association and 48 countries urged the Supreme Court to end the practice when it considers one such case, Roper v. Simmons, 03-633, in the fall.

"By continuing to execute child offenders in violation of international norms, the United States is not just leaving itself open to charges of hypocrisy, but is also endangering the rights of many around the world," said a friend of the court filing Monday on behalf of Nobel Peace Prize winners, including former President Carter and former Soviet President Gorbachev. "Countries whose human rights records are criticized by the United States have no incentive to improve their records when the United States fails to meet the most fundamental, baseline standards," it said. The 25-nation European Union, plus Mexico, Canada and other nations argued that execution of juvenile killers "violates widely accepted human rights norms and the minimum standards of human rights set forth by the United Nations."

The Houston Chronicle reported in January that the decision could affect 26 on death row in Texas. (available in online archives.) Can you imagine? Texas has 26 persons on death row who were under 18 at the time of their crimes?

Here are some statistics on juvenile executions.