Juveniles should be convicted as adults for violent crimes because it is not fair for juveniles to commit big crimes and get away with it so easily. If they want to act like adults, they should be treated. Some teens commit crimes and don't have a really good excuse on why they do it. In the article “On Punishment and Teen Killers” by Jennifer Jenkins she explains how the teenager that killed her sister, husband and her unborn child excuse of killing them was that he just wanted to “see what it would feel like to shoot someone”, which is no good excuse for what he did to this family. Another example from Jennifer's Jenkins article she states how “undeveloped brain” has nothing to do with teens committing these crimes. If an “undeveloped brain” was the case then teens would kill at roughly the same rates all over the world, which is not. Some of these teens think they can get away with some of these crimes which leads to commit more. In Jennifer's article she explains one of her case with a serial killer. His parents will fix everything whenever he got in trouble. After series of other …show more content…
They also believe that that some of these teens are committing crimes because they are going through a rough time in there and when they commit to these crimes they don't know what they are doing and later on regret it. They are not fully grown to understand the crimes they're committing. Although some people believe that kids don't know what they are doing when they commit these crimes, they also have to think about the consequences. If they murder someone just because they don't know what they are doing or because they are going through a “rough” time, they just make the situation worse. They take away another person live that didn't deserve to die and a family has to pay the consequences because they are the ones that have to deal with
Minors should be tried as adults because they made the same mistakes as adults. If they had the guts to break the law, they should have the responsibility to face what they did. Age does not matter because it's just a number. What matters the most is for justice to be served how it's supposed to be. I feel if a child decides to make a huge life changing decision they should have to suffer the consequences.
There has been substantial debate throughout the years over whether juveniles should be tried as adults. Juveniles are still children; age does not indicate maturity when the brain is not entirely developed at that age. Juveniles require rehabilitation as well as additional resources to improve their conduct and address any underlying issues that cause their delinquent behavior. Those kinds of resources and assistance are not available in the adult criminal justice system. The adult criminal justice system does not benefit or help adolescents better their lives; on the contrary, it creates an additional amount of trauma and abuse.
Adults think with the prefrontal cortex, the brain's rational part. The Information shows that a juveniles brain still isn't fully developed so when juveniles commit serious crimes they are still not aware of what their consequences might be. Clearly this shouldnt be used in every case. Court rooms should go case by case and use a fair justice system to penalize them for their actions.
Therefore, any fearful memory or trauma can influence them or trigger them to react off of impulse and commit the crime. If the brain is naturally developed this way , their is no need for a juvenile to be treated as an adult when an adult brain and Juvenile brain are completely distinctive. The article “ Adolescent brains open to change “ by Laura Sanders elaborates on the common normality between adolescents. “ This dramatic adolescent makeover represents a window of opportunity known as a sensitive period, allowing the brain to be selectively shaped by the outside world”. Many here would probably object that you cannot let the outside world shape you, however these are what studies have proven.
Why Teens Should Be Tried As Adults Most rapists, murderers, and other criminals are walking out of jail after only serving short sentences. These criminals are juveniles who commit heinous, adult crimes. When the criminals are released, they’re given new identities to protect themselves and continue a peaceful life, while their victims and their family are living every day with fear and pain. The court system and juvenile supporters believe all juveniles should be given a second chance, and because of this, criminals are our neighbors, walking down the street, and are in public places. Just because someone is released from juvenile hall or prison, that doesn’t mean they learned their lesson.
In the article, “Juveniles Don't Deserve Life Sentences”, the author Gail Garinger states, “ Young people are biologically different from adults”(1). Inevitably, an adult is further capable of a freely experience about life structure than a teen who needs guidance for the right path. Garinger also says, “ Juvenile offenders cannot with reliability be classifried among the worst offenders”(1). Since teens do not know the right or wrong path society should not see them as criminals but as kids who made the wrong choices without understanding their actions. In the article “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains”, Paul Thompson says, “A child is not a man”(1).
Therapy assumes that most juveniles can become conscious of their own thoughts and behaviors and then make positive changes to them. A juvenile's thoughts are often the result of experience, and behavior is often influenced and prompted by these thoughts. In addition, thoughts may sometimes become distorted and fail to reflect reality accurately. Juveniles entering the criminal justice system can bring a number of serious problems with them substance abuse, academic failure, emotional disturbances, physical health issues, family problems, and a history of physical or sexual abuse. Girls make up nearly one-third of
While many argue that juveniles who commit serious crimes, such as a murder, should be treated as adults, the fact is, juveniles under the age of eighteen, are not adults, and should not be treated as such. Juveniles are not mature enough or developed psychologically, and, therefore, do not consider the consequences of their actions. In the article, “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains”
In the article “Experts Link Teen Brains Immaturity, Juvenile crime” Malcolm Ritter explains how the brain is developing in the teenage years for reasoning and developing which keeps doing so into the early mid 20s (Ritter 4). It is no question that teens can be immature but if teens are sophisticated enough to come up with an elaborate plan to attempt and commit a crime then this proves they are mature enough to face the consequences and
It really doesn’t matter the age of the criminal, it they are committing crimes that are inherently adult in nature, then yes, these criminals absolutely should be punished as an adult regardless of their age. Our courts, shouldn’t ever allow anyone, child or adult, get away with murder. In todays world ,there are many crimes being committed Adults are not the only ones that are committed crimes In today issue is that juvenile offenders should be tried as adult in a criminal court However many disagree and they believe if these young offenders are capable of committing a crime like murder, no matter their maturity, they should be tried as adults. The criminal justice system has a very particular way in dealing with the law when it comes to young adults .
Since then, there have been new scientific discoveries that show juveniles should not be charged and prosecuted the same way as adults. According to research performed by the Harvard Medical School, the National Institute of Mental Health and the UCLA's Department of Neuroscience have discovered that the frontal and pre-frontal lobes of the brain are not fully developed in juveniles. These parts of the brain help determine impulse control and judgment. Maturation is not reached until the ages of eighteen and twenty two. This means youth are more likely to act irrationally, make abrupt decisions and choices, and do not think about the after effects
Juvenile killers should take responsibility for their actions because they have the mental capacity to make conscious decisions for themselves--no matter how impetuous--even if that decision is murder. Granting that juveniles are indeed living in a dysfunctional environment which they believe is inescapable, the environment itself doesn’t force a teenager’s hand in killing
Some crimes are so cruel and have to be thought out like murder or rape and if a juvenile does one they should be tried as an adult, “It really doesn’t matter the age of the criminal, it they are committing crimes that are inherently adult in nature, then yes, these criminals absolutely should be punished as an adult regardless of their age”. If they can think out the action of committing the crime then they need to be held responsible accordingly. There are also those who disagree and say that young adolescents should not be charged as
In the past, offenders of all ages have committed crimes (some as young as 8yrs. old). Many people question “how can a person at a very young age be able to commit a crime and understand their plan of action?” Many of the youthful offenders have been inspired to commit the crime through either watching the news about a criminal case, on television, or even as well as releasing the pain the offender has experienced during his/her life. Many of these youthful offenders are suffering from mental disorders, just like this tragic event that took place on February 1996 in Moses Lake, Washington, at Frontier Middle School.
Juvenile should be given charges equal to adults when it come to certain crimes, like murder. Whether a juvenile or an adult, a person has a full understanding of their actions, unless their mentally disturb but that 's not the subject. Young teens and children committing heinous crimes with full awareness. “Some persons will shin crime even if we do nothing to deter them, while others will seek it out even if we do everything to reform them. Wicked people exist.