Explain Why Juveniles Should Not Be Tried As Adults

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The Supreme Court ruled that the eighth amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment means that juvenile offenders who haven't been convicted of murder shouldn't be sentenced to life in prison without any chance of parole. Some say that juvenile offenders who commit heinous crimes should receive the same consequences as adults. However, it could also be argued that it is unjust for minors to face the same consequences as adults, when they are not alloted with the same privileges as adults. Adolescents are not allowed to drink, drive, or get married. Minors are not given such privileges because many of them do not have the life experience to consistently make well-processed decisions. This doesn’t mean adolescents can’t make rational decisions, but it does mean that they are more likely to act impulsively. Juvenile offenders should not be tried as adults because they lack the ability to fully comprehend their actions, and this process of conviction does not encourage adolescents to become functional members of society. …show more content…

According to some studies, brain development is not complete until the age of 25. Behavioral science research has shown that children focus on short-term rewards rather than long-term consequences of their actions. These studies also show that juveniles engage in immature, emotional, risky, aggressive and impulsive behavior and delinquent acts. A vast majority of minors do not understand certain legal repercussions of breaking the law, and the legal proceedings of criminal court. Researchers have found that a large portion of minors under the age of 16, could not understand the proceedings or help lawyers defend them. The study recommends that states reconsider the minimum age for juveniles to be tried as adults or to develop a system for evaluating a young defendant's

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