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. A school shooting was committed by fourteen year old student, Barry Dale Loukaitis. The incident occurred in his Algebra Class. He opened fire with three types of weapons killing two students, one teacher and critically injuring one student. He also held his class hostage for 10 minutes. Barry was believed to have been inspired by a Novel-Rage written by Stephen King. In the novel, it explains that a student has taken hostage of his algebra class and ends up taking the life of two teachers in his school. Another inspiration was the song and music video “Jeremy” by the band Pearl Jam. In the music video of “Jeremy”, the student commits suicide in …show more content…
These populations are up to the age of 18 years old. They go through a juvenile court and processed to a juvenile detention center or prison. Sometimes the young offenders are tried as adults when they have failed the rehabilitation program(s). Some of these crimes could be murder, manslaughter, arm robbery, rape, or aggravated assault. When this happens the youth will be incarcerated in juvenile prison instead of Adult prison. Also the youth can only receive the maximum sentenced time not to exceed his or her 25th birthdate. A youthful offender cannot be sentenced to death penalty; they also can receive community service or
Crossroads Juvenile Center Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Crossroads Juvenile Center In contemporary times, there is an increasing tendency for juvenile involvement in crime. The frequency and the severity of the crimes has increased so much that there are call for trial of delinquents as adults in extreme cases. The juvenile justice system however has a stronger emphasis on correctional activities and giving the under-age offenders a chance to change and make something useful of their lives. The Crossroads Juvenile Center is a detention facility in New York, it development and operations demonstrate the desire of the juvenile justice system to effects changes in the children admitted to these systems.
People argue that some juveniles are “too young and they don’t understand” but either way, they still broke the law and should be fairly punished. A fact stating “There are approximately 6,000 juveniles in adult jails and prisons in the United States” shows that people who have broken the law with felonies have been confined by law, no matter the age. People need to learn before they act in a similar manner, again. A similar case is a boy named Craig Price from Rhode Island who had committed multiple felonies, such as four murders and was charged as a minor, meaning he was arrested around age 16 and would get out and have his criminal record sealed at age 21. Because of this, a law was changed so that juveniles could be tried as adults with serious crimes.
Hopeless. Helpless. Unrelenting despair. He documented it in a private journal for two years. He also left telling school essays and notorious videotapes.
People have always considered children kind, generous, caring, and playful, but never crminal offenders. The Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), as Canadians know today, as we know it today, was only sometimes the YCJA. It all started as the Jjuvenile Ddelinquent Aact (1908-1984), which then evolved into the Yyoung Ooffender's Aact (1984-2003) and finally evolved into the YCJAyouth criminal justice act (2003-present). The YCJAS's prmary goal is to protect the community by holding Canadian youth accountable, rehabilitating and reintegrating youths back into society, and preventing crime amongst youth. However, is the YCJA effectively dealing with youth crime in Canada?
The Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) is a Canadian law that was established in 2003, replacing the Young Offenders Act. The YCJA was created with the intention of promoting rehabilitation and reintegration of young offenders, as well as ensuring that they are held accountable for their actions. The act recognizes that youth are still developing and should be treated differently than adult offenders. In this essay, we will explore the key aspects of the YCJA and how it has affected the Canadian justice system.
Life in in american prison is a brutal experience. Tensions run high as criminals are confined to to cells and given minimal interactions with the outside world; admittedly for some convict a life sentence is due punishments, but for juveniles with life sentences their actions as a teen can end their life before it even begins. For juveniles who have committed a violent crime, (defined as robbery; murder and non-intentional manslaughter, rape, and aggravated assault by the FBI), life sentences are fairly common. In fact, in a paper written by Stella Steele, a BSA analyst and investigator on the “Disparities and Harshness of Youth Sentencing” touched on the subject of juvenile sentencing. She demonstrating the high rates of harsher punishments
He had expressed suicidal thoughts and was very upset by his lack of a romantic relationships. There was also a lot of rage simmering under the surface as well, which appeared in the violent essays, stories, and poems he had written for English class. They all often featured blood, death, and war. “Dylan was no good at deception.” He kept getting caught doing suspicious things.
In the article “On Punishment and Teen Killers” published by the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange on Aug 2,2011 the author, Jennifer Jenkins, points out how teen killers should be tried as adults for crimes committed at an adult level. Jenkins states that “... I understand how hard it is to accept the reality that a 16 or 17 year old is capable of forming such requisite criminal intent.” If a the teen intended to kill someone then they should be locked up, but if that was not the intention then they should get the help necessary instead of being locked
Annotated bibliography Childress, S. (2016, June 2). More States Consider Raising the Age for Juvenile Crime. Retrieved from PBS: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/more-states-consider-raising-the-age-for-juvenile-crime/ More states are considering to raising the age for juvenile crimes before being tried as adult because young offender's mental capacity. The idea is to cut the cost of incarcerate young offender in adult prison and ensure offenders to receive proper education and specialized care to change their behavior. Putting children in adult prison does not deter crime.
In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that it is immoral to give juveniles life sentences, even if they commit a crime as serious as murder, because it is a cruel and unusual punishment. This has been an issue in America as teenagers are often treated as adults in court due to a belief that their crimes warrant a harsh punishment. Many believe that these kids should not be given such major sentences because they are still immature and do not have the self control that adults do. I agree that juveniles do not deserve life sentences because they put less thought and planning into these crimes and they often are less malicious than adults. The article “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” explains that the teenagers lose brain tissue that is responsible for self control and impulses (Thompson 7).
When teen felons choose to act without thinking, they are putting other people’s lives at risk. They need to be charged as adults because the victims of the crimes will not be given the justice they deserve when they have to worry about that criminal harming them again. Although some people think that sending a juvenile through adult court gives them no hope, they should have given this a little thought before committing the crime. Teens need to think about the consequences and how their actions affect others before they act. When choosing between putting a violent adolescent in prison and taking the chance of letting them commit that crime again, it is most suitable to let the teen be tried as an adult and to place them in prison.
There are differences between a juvenile court and criminal court in the United States. The focus of the juvenile justice system is on rehabilitation, in hope of deterring the minor away from a life of crime so they will not commit a crime again as an adult. In contrast, the criminal justice system focuses on the punishment and often bases the sentencing outcome on the criminal history of the youth. In a study conducted, Butler (2011) showed that the participants’ experience with adult jails and prisons show that those facilities may instill fear but are otherwise emotionally—and often physically—dangerous for youth. Many of the adult prisoners, who were minors when they enter the adult institution, felt they were forced to “grow
In our society, crimes are being committed not only by adults but by juveniles as well. By law as soon as a person turns 18 they are considered to be an adult. So what if an adult and a juvenile were to commit the same crime yet were sentenced differently simply based on the fact that one is a child and one is an adult? Juveniles are committing violent crimes just as adults and should be given the equal treatment and sentencing as adults receive. Juveniles aren’t completely ignorant as everyone seems to think.
When children and teens commit a violent crime such as murder, courts convict them as adults. This means that children as young as eight have been tried as adults in court. Eventually, these convicts will be housed in jails with adults. Despite the federal law stating that juvenile and adult inmates must be separated, most states do not comply with these rules. Furthermore, a law that varies throughout the states is the age in which courts send the children to adult or juvenile prisons.
Can you imagine waking up behind closed walls and bars? Waking up to see your inmate who is a 45-year-old bank robber and you are a 14-year-old minor who made a big mistake. This is why minors who have committed crimes should not be treated the same as adults. Some reasons are because the consequences given to minors in adult court would impact a minor’s life in a negative way. If a minor is tried through a juvenile court, they have a greater chance of rehabilitation.