Juvenile Justice There is a great deal of controversy that exists in America today. The question is whether a juvenile who committed a heinous crime should be punished to the same extent as an adult. The growing trend in the United States is to “get tough” on juveniles who commit these crimes. This has resulted in a growing number of minors who trial as adults, and being sent to adult prisons. Many believe if that an adult crime is committed, then you should face consequences appropriate for adults, but what exactly is the appropriate age to be considered an adult? What factors do we have to consider when doing so? I believe that juveniles by definition are not adults, and therefore should not be tried as such. Recent research shows that the …show more content…
Saillant explains that there are those, including prosecutors in that case who absolutely agree that the murder was pre-meditated based on a hate crime, but didn’t consider the other factors; Mclnerney was being humiliated daily by King in front of all his friends. Mclnerney was being bullied by King. The time came when Mclnerney was at a breaking point and did what he thought was the only way to stop King from bullying him. Scott wiper, one of Mclnerney’s attorney said, “Someone like Brandon, who was barely 14 and had no juvenile record, should have gone before a juvenile judge, who would look at certain factors to determine he is suitable for rehabilitation.”(Saillant). It wasn’t fair that Mclnerney, who had no juvenile record, was tried in an adult court. On the other hand, if he wasn’t tried as an adult the judge would have considered the factors in the case such as, “… abused its power failing to consider such circumstances as Mclnerney’s youth, his hard family life and failure of school officials to deal with rising tensions between the two boys.” said by his attorney said. The way the Ventura County district attorney’s office handled the case was misconducted. Mclnerney had family issues like dealing with his father whom faced charges of domestic abuse and his mother that struggled with drug addiction. In defiance of him having good grades in school and never had trouble with the law, “While incarcerated at Juvenile Hall awaiting trial, he has been a ‘model kid’, Wippert said, “The staff loves him… he is not a monster like the D.A. is portraying him.” This shows clearly that just because a first time crime Mclnerney committed, does not mean he is a bad person and being in a juvenile hall proved he
He was tried as an adult. Minors have been tried as if they were eighteen or older several times before, but with a child like this, a historically innocent, somewhat
The court’s opinion on this case, overturning the death penalty, I personally agree with. This case addresses the Eighth Amendment, cruel and unusual punishment and sentencing a juvenile to the death penalty violates Simmons’s Eighth Amendment Right. Simmons being 17 years of age, impulsive, immaturity, behavior changes, alcohol and drug abuse, and bad home environment is crucial to his behavior. These facts all play a role in this case; however, were not addressed during the sentencing process. During closing arguments the defense harped on Simmons’s age; to remind the jurors that legislatures made laws that prohibited juveniles from drinking, serving on juries, even buying or renting R rated movies believing that individuals under a certain age simply are not responsible enough.
The reasons for this is that a lot of these kids are committing adult crimes therefore, they should be tried as an adult. Furthermore, if they were not tried as an adult the violence that these kids bring to our society would be an outrage. They would be out here killing kids of their own age as well as adults. There’s also the possibility of them going out doing other dangerous and violent crimes because they would figure that just because of their age they could not be tried as an adult but in fact go to juvenile court where they will have a hearing by just a judge and not be tried by a jury which could possibly give them less time then what the crime carries.
According to “Kids in Prison” by Brian Hansen, juveniles are being tried as adults for violent and non-violent crimes. Kids being tried as adult is the most controversial topic the world cannot agree on today. It is hard to pick one side due to every case being a different situation, but I think I have established a well-thought opinion. Children should not be tried as adults due to their level of cognitive capability, proneness to harm in adult prisons, and their inability to be rehabilitated in a harmful environment. First, a child’s cognitive thinking is at a different level than an adult’s, so a child does not have the means to survive in an adult prison.
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. In the article published by the New York Times on March 14, 2012 “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences”, Garinger discusses that juveniles deserve a second chance since their brains are still developing.
In Joe's case, the criminal justice system is way too harsh on a mentally disabled thirteen year old, who lacked a steady home and suffered child abuse and neglect. His punishment is a prime example of how society is too harsh on children who commit non homicide crimes, especially given the circumstances in this case. Instead of helping Joe, they locked him up for life, where nobody cared about him. When they imprisoned him, they didn't even send him to a juvenile prison, but instead sent him to an adult prison, where he was left vulnerable and an easy target. Kids should not be going to adult prisons as juveniles because the harsh environment prevents them from rebounding back from their past mistakes.
During the fall of 1993, Shirley Crook’s, a loving mother and wife, life was horribly cut short in one of the most horrific ways possible, drowning. Seventeen year old, Christopher Simmons, wrapped his victim in duct tape and electrical cords and drowned her in a river with help from his accomplices John Tessmer and Christopher Benjamin. He attempted to burglarize the Crooks residence along with his accomplices, and he only murdered Mrs. Crooks because ‘the bitch seen my face’ (State v. Simmons). He “assured his friends that their status as juveniles would allow them to ‘get away with it.’... Brian Moomey, a 29-year-old convicted felon who allowed neighborhood teens to "hang out" at his home.
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.
As the current president of the United States, Barack Obama, stated: “All our Nation 's children deserve the chance to fulfill their greatest potential, and nothing should limit the scope of their futures. But all too often, our juvenile and criminal justice systems weigh our young people down so heavily that they cannot reach their piece of the American dream.” In the National Youth Justice Awareness Month in 2015 he took the side of the Youngsters and explained how the current juvenile justice system can affect the future of the (more than) one million juveniles arrested each year. It can keep them from breaking social banners, education and it will eventually result in them not being able to find a job. He also spoke of the lifestyles most underage criminals come from; either the foster care system or environments where violence and/or drug abuse was very common.
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.
The video that made me think the most, was Prison Kids: Juvenile Justice in America. They interviewed many kids, parents and the government officials who worked alongside these programs. This video was the most interesting to me because you do not hear much about kids being arrested. The video goes into something that was discussed in class several times, as well as a controversial topic in society.
Juvenile Justice 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.
At the same time their family and home environment should not be considered. Juveniles who commit a crime should not be given parole because they
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.
In our country The United States, there are many juvenile center packed with juveniles that have done some type of crime to end up in these centers. The minors in these detention centers have done a crime rather it was minor or major. Some judges want some of these young people to serve life in prison as adults and some believe they shouldn’t. Some courts want to see juveniles facing life in prison for crimes they’ve committed , these juveniles need to be heard and given a second chance they are still growing and do not yet have the same mentality as adults and have examples being set in their surroundings. Courts want to send juveniles to face a life sentence in prison for the crimes they’ve done without the chance to speak up for