Have you ever thought a about what actually goes on in Juvenile Detention Centers? How the young teens are treated by the guards and other cell mates? If you really think about it, most people in this generation don’t understand how bad it is getting. Being a teen doesn’t mean you are an adult and every teen makes mistakes. From the point of view of the young prisoners in those detention centers, when you get in trouble or you make a mistake in the “outside world” people get over it. At the age they are at, it is just like getting grounded for a week and that’s it. However, in the world of the Juvenile Detention Centers, if you make a mistake, you will may get beaten up by other cell mates.
In the article “Remember the Victims of Juvenile Offenders” Jennifer Bishop-Jenkins explains how the killer of her 26 year-old pregnant sister got away not only with that crime but others as well (Bishop-Jenkins 1). Bishop-Jenkins agrees how some teens need long term evaluation before they are able to rejoin the public, as a result should be tried as adults. If these criminals are shown there are no serious consequences for crimes then they will continue their antics. Teens should be tried as adults for felonies if they are unfit for juvenile detention centers for which they can not rehabilitate. Not only will it put criminals behind bars but will allow the victims to experience some
Currently, in America, there is a debate about whether or not juveniles should be tried as adults. When it comes to trying teens in court as adults. Some say stop trying them as adults and try them as juveniles, others say they must be tried as adults when they commit adult crimes. I believe that teens should be held accountable for their actions and tried as adults. If minors who commit violent crimes were tried as adults and punished the same way as adults are, the number of violent crimes committed by the youths of our generation would decline dramatically. Consequently, in the future the number of violent crimes in general would decline as tougher penalties and punishments would be used to keep the offenders in prison for longer sentences. According to stats The Justice Department estimated about 10% of all homicides are committed by juveniles under the age of 18. Nearly every year, the FBI arrests more than 33,000 young adults under the age of 18 for offenses. The number of violent crimes committed by young people declined substantially from the 1990s to 2003, but then surged again that year, with the estimated number of juvenile murder offenders
There are certain instances of juveniles being tried as adults and sometimes ending up getting a life sentence without a chance of parole. I find that pretty harsh because there have been some cases where the juvenile meant no harm, they were either confused or brought along by gang members and they end up being charged along with the gang members for just being with them when a crime goes down. I believe that juveniles do not deserve to be given a life sentence because for one they are still maturing, they can learn from their mistakes and make amends, we still have to combat crimes like intended murder committed by a juvenile with extreme punishments especially if they are well over the age of 16.
The concept of justice is very important in modern society. Since one is born, they are taught how to act; and as they grow up, they’re taught the difference between right and wrong. They learn about ethics and morals in the process of socialization. There are laws, policies, and norms that must be followed in order to live in a functioning society. Nobody is supposed to be exempt from this, so what should be done when one breaks this rules? Specifically, when this is done by a teenager. Should they get harshly punished, or do they deserve a second chance? Juveniles who commit crimes should not be given life sentences.
When it comes to the topic of trying juveniles as adults for serious crimes the majority of people will say yes; however, it is not a simple of an answer as it seems. In “Should Juvenile Offenders Be Tried as Adults” by Laurence Steinberg, Steinberg points out different reasons why this would not be as simple decision as it appears to be. Therefore, juveniles between the ages 13 and 17 should not be tried as adults because, their development is still incomplete, their judgment is less mature, and transferring them to a criminal court is a complicated process.
Juvenile crimes are essentially crimes committed by adolescents. Some examples of juvenile crimes include homicides, robberies, and drug use. While these crimes are basically the same crimes that adults commit, the difference is that they are committed by adolescents and the motivation behind these crimes. The motives for which a crime may have been committed are stronger in adolescents such as stress, jealousy, impulse, or simply an attempt to seek attention. These things are important factors in differentiation between juvenile and adult crimes. While the crime committed may be atrocious, adolescents should not be sentenced to life in prison without parole; therefore, they should be given a chance to correct themselves through parole.
When people commit crimes, there should be disciplined no matter what. Juveniles need to learn that their behaviors have consequences. Why should kids be given any less of a punishment for committing the same crime? According to one author, “Taking a life is murder regardless of the age of the offender, and the penalties to be imposed must not discriminate. After all, the victim’s life will never be returned, and the family will permanently lose their loved one” (“7 Top Pros and Cons of Juveniles Being Tried As Adults”). 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. Similarly, trying teens as adults will hold them accountable for their actions which will reduce the crime
Juveniles should be tried as adults due to being aware of their crimes and having an intention to kill, however, brain development and maturity can play a role into the reason why teens kill. With being tried as an adult juveniles should be granted the opportunity of freedom pending on their rehabilitation status and if requirements are not met, convicts will have to complete the remainder of their sentence.
Many have argued that teens should not be tried as adults because of having an immaturity to them and an underdeveloped brain in which influences the rational thinking of a teen. Although these arguments are very reasonable, to say that teens are not aware of their crimes, would only invalidate their statements. Juveniles are aware of their wrongdoings and they choose to commit foul play on innocent lives. These perpetrators had an intent to kill someone, they did so to feel satisfaction or to perhaps seek approval of someone. Furthermore, if teen killers are tried as adults, they should also be given the opportunity of liberation once they turn of age. Failure to show successful rehabilitation, the teen will have to complete their sentence, living out their days knowing that their crimes could have been prevented.
In today’s world there are countless crimes committed every single day. “In 2015, there were 1.42 million total arrests, at a rate of 3,641 arrests per 100,000 residents” (State of California, Department of Justice). Grown adults are not the only people being arrested every year, there are also juveniles, children, being arrested every day. One topic of controversy today is whether or not juveniles who commit these crimes should be tried as adults in criminal court. There are many differences between the justice system for adults and the justice system for juveniles. If a juvenile is defined as a person under the age of eighteen can we justify trying them in as an adult? Is convicting juveniles as adults a better solution?
Should juveniles get treated as adults that’s one of the biggest controversy in our nation now days, with many juveniles committing crimes that are inconceivable according to their age. Judges have the last word on how to treat this young people. Many people argue that “the teens that are under eighteen are only kids, they won’t count them as young adults, not until they commit crimes. And the bigger the crime, the more eager this people are to call them adults” (Lundstrom 87). This is why people can’t come to a decision as how these young people should be treated like. As adults or as juveniles, according to how serious is the crime they committed.
all influence these times of transition for the juvenile. It is sometimes accompanied by a desire for material things, fashion, peer pressure, cash and more. At times, the demands of wants and needs are intensified by a society that consists of high mobility, social change, and is materialistic. Growing up Lolita had no positive role model in her life, she had a mother who was addicted to crack and her father was absent her whole life. Growing up with no father can really alter a child’s life. Its cause them to go down the wrong path but in Lolita case she had no one depend on and she was always out to get it on her own, psychological effects of our childhood experiences can have an outsized impact on who we become later in life. Ben Spencer says “Growing up without a father could permanently alter the structure of the
First of all, juveniles should not be sentenced with life in prison like adults because scientific studies confirm a strong difference between an adolescent
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.