Here,however, the absence of evidence of deterrent effect isof special concern because the same characteristicsthat render juveniles less culpable than adults suggestas well that juveniles will be less susceptible to deterrence. In particular, as the plurality observed in*572 Thompson, “[t]he likelihood that the teenage offender has made the kind of cost-benefit analysis thatattaches any weight to the possibility of execution isso remote as to be virtually nonexistent.” 487 U.S., at837, 108 S.Ct. 2687. To the extent the juvenile deathpenalty might have residual deterrent effect, it isworth noting that the punishment of life imprisonmentwithout the possibility of parole is itself a severesanction, in particular for a young person.