The punishments for adolescent 10 through 17 in the court system or the incarceration of juveniles, who commits serious crime, do not work. For this Juvenile who commits a serious offense should be tried as an adult. The statistics show that the crime rate among children between the ages of 10 through 17, are on the rise. The National Institute of Justice (2012) stated that “In 2010, there were 225 arrests for Violent Crime Index offenses for every 100,000 youth between 10 and 17 years of age.” (para 4). Peer pressure and insufficient effective guidance contribute to a child’s delinquency. Gangs are recruiting these unsupervised young individuals to commit minor crimes. “How old are gang members?”, “40% are juveniles (under 18) and …show more content…
Youthful offenders should be held accountable for their destructive behavior towards others, and justice should be given to the victims that they have caused to suffer. During the past “Children as young as 7, however, could stand trial in criminal court for offenses committed and, if found guilty, could be sentenced to prison or even to death” (NCJRS, 1999 para 1). Time and time again, juveniles who commit crimes are placed on house arrest or have even been put on probation, without paying retribution to their victims. Without having to pay for their actions, these juveniles can be and most often become repeat offenders. As the perception of juvenile delinquency deteriorates, many states have passed laws allowing minors as young as 13 to be tried as an adult. "In most states, a juvenile offender must be at least 16 to be eligible for waiver to adult court. But, in a number of states, minors as young as 13 could be subjected to a waiver petition. And a few states allow children of any age to be tried as adults for certain types of crimes, such as homicide" (NOLO Law for All, 2015, para 2). In some cases, the parents are also charged for their children’s actions. "In Des Moines, Iowa, city officials thought they had the solution to the rising juvenile crime rate: Hold the parents liable when their children are
The article, “The Steep Costs of Keeping Juveniles in Adult Prisons” written by Jessica Lahey states, “Juveniles constitute 1,200 of the 1.5 million people housed in federal and state prisons in this country, and nearly 200,000 youth enter the adult criminal-justice system each year, most for non-violent crimes.” Minors should not be tried as adults because their brains are not developed, they may come from bad backgrounds, and they have their whole life ahead of them, and their life should not be determined by the mistakes they made as a child. Juveniles who are usually 14 or older who have committed serious crimes are tried as adults and are put into adult-state prisons. This is inhumane and unsafe for the child’s physical and mental health. One of the many reasons that minors should not be tried as adults is because their brains are not fully developed, so they cannot make good decisions until they are older, far into their twenties.
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.
The Juvenile system was first established around 1899 during the Progressives Era Reforms. The progressive era reform was the first system to actually try to reform juveniles due to the fact that they were being trialed as adults. Psychologist made developments with research on the psyche of the juveniles being trialed as adults not beneficial to the state of mind that some minors can’t comprehend at the adult level. The findings from the research that were conducted, made society change their views on the juvenile delinquency.
These requirements are similar between all states that have passed state legislation. I have had a lot of firsthand experience with youthful offender laws, being an investigator of crimes against children. In Oklahoma, where I am a criminal investigator, our requirements for youthful
Usually when a youth is classified as a delinquent it is associated with antisocial behaviors within the family and in the community such as aggression and can lead to related problems such as vandalism, substance usage and running away, theft, robbery, and larceny, gang memberships and school shootings. Juveniles are typically not charged like adults unless the crime is serious. Delinquency in the United States is examined with the emphasis on its relation to local communities and the groups and institutions that form the social world of children and adolescents (Cavan &
United States: Greenhaven Publishing. The book provides various opposing viewpoints regarding the cause of juvenile crime and how the criminal justice system should treat juvenile offenders. Each argument highlights the main risk factors for juvenile crime. For example, gang plays a large part of juvenile violence.
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 many children in the world who are being put behind bars and detained for alleged wrongdoing without protections they are entitled to. Throughout the world, children are charged and sentenced for actions that should not be considered as adult crimes. Here in the United States, the minimum age of criminal responsibility is age 12. Law enforcement officials and those in the juvenile justice system nationwide tend to mistreat underage individuals by trying cases while working through the lens of an adult. Unfair punishments are still handed down domestically, which is in violation of Supreme Court law.
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.
Within the urban communities, negative perceptions are magnified. Adolescents are more prone to be a product of their environment, especially those whose parents are incarcerated. Because of this trend adolescents are being incarcerated at an alarming rate and sentenced to adult facilities. Lambie & Randall (2013) states, the United States have imposed harsher penalties on serious young offenders, and have consequently increased rates of incarcerated youth and made it easier for youth to be treated and incarcerated as adults within the justice
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?
Children between 12-17 years of age accounted for 7% of all violent crime arrests in America, with approximately 192,000 arrests in 2019 alone (according to juvenile justice statistics.) Some people believe that putting minors in prison for violent crimes is inhumane and unsafe for children, while others believe they should get the same penalty as adults. The United States of America has created many laws to ensure the safety of its citizens, including the law of criminal responsibility, which determines when an individual is viewed as an adult in the eyes of the law. In some severe cases, including violent crimes, minors will be charged and treated as adults even though they might not be fully mentally developed. Even though minors might not be fully mentally developed, children should be charged as adults if violent crimes are committed because it treats severe crimes with the seriousness that they need to be and shouldn't be punished less for the same crimes as adults commit, they are not safe to be put in juvenile detention, and it reduces the chance of repeat offending.
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.
If we look at the different criminal justice systems around the world, most countries have laws or regulations stating the “age of criminal responsibility” (Maher. G). However, there has been no clear international standard identified regarding the age at which criminal responsibility could be reasonably charged for a juvenile offender. The Convention on the Rights of Children (CRC) appeals parties to establish ‘a minimum age below which children shall be
This age group has certain characteristics, especially during the stage of adolescence. For example, its member often experience anxiety, rapid biological, moral and sexual development, and host of external factors, making them susceptible to delinquency. Equal opportunities for maturity to all children during period of growth should be provided for dropping unfairness and ensuring social justice, which in turn would serve as an effective toll to curtail delinquency in juveniles.