James Bulger

Most crimes, they argue, are simple to commit, require no long-term planning, and provide few long-term benefits. In addition, this theory implies that individuals who were inadequately parented before the age of eight develop less self-control than individuals of approximately the same age who were raised with better parenting. Gottfredson and Hirschi argue that parents must monitor their children, recognize bad behavior, and correct this bad behavior. If self-control has not developed by ages eight to ten, they argue, it is not likely to develop. As a result, research have indicated that low levels of self-control are relevant to criminal and impulsive

“The number of teenagers under eighteen arrested for murder has risen over one hundred fifty percent from 1985 to 1994. Id. This is a disturbing trend, especially in light of the fact that Justice Department surveys consistently show that less than half of all crime, including crimes of violence, is reported to the police.” ("102. Juvenile Crime Facts.") These statistics are alarming and it makes a big issue for our society.

The teen’s brain is not developed until a little farther into maturity. So, if a teen waits one or two years later, their brain will be much more mature and have the ability to process more information. Another example is from the article,“What the brain says about Maturity.” “Significant changes in brain anatomy and activity are still taking place during young adulthood, especially in prefrontal regions that are important for planning ahead, anticipating the future

There is hope for parents of teenagers that feel like their child is a lost cause. In a 2015 issue of Scientific American titled The Amazing Teen Brain, author Jay N. Giedd explains why the teenage brain is not “biology gone wrong”. With the help of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) the brain of people of different ages can be studied to provide more accurate information. One of those findings is that the adolescent brain does not mature by getting larger, that it matures by having its structures more interconnected and by becoming more specialized. MRI scans show that greater volumes of white matter indicate the increase in connectivity among brain regions.

No research to date has indicated that applying harsher penalties or mandating national registries has reduced the recidivism rates among sex offenders, reduced sex trafficking against minors, nor child pornography. Despite the ongoing efforts of The Adam Walsh Act alongside other child safety acts as well, children in the United States are still perishing from sexual and physical abuse each day. According to data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), “49 States reported a total of 1,585 fatalities. Based on these data, a nationally estimated 1,670 children died from abuse or neglect in FFY 2015, which is 5.7 percent more than in 2011. This translates to a rate of 2.25 children per 100,000 children in the general population and an average of nearly five children dying every day from abuse or neglect”.(www.childwarefare.gov) Human Rights Watch shares that “the real risks that children face are quite different: government statistics indicate that most sexual abuse of children are committed by family members or trusted authority figures, and by someone who has not previously been convicted of a sex offense.

It has been ranked as tier 2 country by the US departments report on human trafficking. Children have also been forced to work in prostitution rings where the promises of money is never delivered to them. One non-governmental organization estimated in 2003 that there were some 40,000 to 50,000 child prostitutes in Venezuela. The parents of these children are persuaded by traffickers to believe that their children are better off with them when in reality the traffickers are ruining these children’s lives. They are treated as slaves and are not given the necessities to live.

All around the world crimes have occurred just because of what time you need to be home at. Since the Greasers don’t have a curfew, the commit more crimes frequently than others. Based on the knowledge given in the article it states that “Curfews lowers the number of teens involved with crimes. From 1995 to 1999, the number of minors arrested for violent crimes dropped 23 percent. Expertscredit public curfews for the drop in crime.”

The researchers found what many of us were trying to say earlier about Cameron Kocher: that at age of 9, he simply couldn’t process information and plan a crime like an adult.” (Robert Schwartz). This evidence shows that a child is innocent and does not have the capacity to plan a crime like an adult would do. A child does not even understand what is right and wrong because they do not have

“New Orleans prosecutors are seeking life without parole [for juvenile offenders] in half of all cases; in West Baton Rouge Parish, 100 percent,” (“Justice for the Youngest Inmates”). Whenever a minor is found guilty of committing a crime, he or she must go through the processes of the juvenile justice system. There has been much controversy over how young criminals should be punished and corrected for breaking the law. The goal of the juvenile justice system is to rectify the mistakes that youths have committed in order to produce functional, well-mannered members of society. However, juveniles are often treated poorly after being tried and come out of the detention facilities in a worse condition than when they entered.

However, there is a solution that would solve the problem and not have substantial additional costs. Generally, the teenage brain is not fully awake and engaged until between 9 and 10:00 am. A younger child (elementary age) is able to be awake and alert much earlier due to different chemicals and sleep schedules programed into our brains (Macmillan). If elementary school starting times and high school starting times switched, it would benefit high schoolers and not greatly impact elementary school kids. This would resolve the transportation conflict mentioned by those opposing a later start time.

Post secondary criminology degree programs review the need for intervention at a young age, and that in order to hinder juvenile crime, its causes must first be understood. The legal system, however, disagrees. This situation is chiefly dangerous because teens who abuse limitation drugs may do as they involved. There are many constituents that contribute to juvenile felony, terminate, but not limited to, poor training, low multitude attendants, noble impression, damage socioeconomic condition, and firmness abuse.

The story regarding then seventeen year old Christopher Simmons is awful and I do not understand why people would abuse and torture people in the manner in which he did. According to the article, he had it in his mind that he just wanted to kill someone and it happened to be someone that he had prior contact with. No matter what state of mind he and the other juveniles were in, there was no excuse to treat Mrs. Crook the way that they did and murder her by throwing her off a bridge.

When should juvenile offenders be tried as an adult This is important topic because juvenile that commit bad crimes such as rape, murders and robbery should be tried Juvenile offenders should be tried as an adult at the age of 14 teen years old. A child at 14 is old enough to know right from wrong, and if they commit a crime at the age of 14 then they should go thought a adult court and be tried as an adult .If you're a juvenile and you committed a serious enough crime you can be can be tried charged as an adult ."if

A big debate that has gone on for some time is whether or not children who commit violent crimes should be tried as adults. Violent crimes by children are not uncommon in modern days. Many people believe that children are not psychologically developed enough to understand their actions or think things through properly. Others believe that children ought to be tried as adults at a certain point. The children can no longer be shielded by a lack of understanding and forethought.