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Juveniles In The Case Of Ethan Couch By Eugene Arellano

970 Words4 Pages

Juveniles are punished daily for crimes and the number of confined adolescents is increasing daily. Ethan Couch was an over-privileged young adult who committed an awful crime in 2013. He murdered and assaulted many individuals under the influence of alcohol and was put on probation for ten years. Jaime Arellano had a similar case as Couch but a completely different consequence. While he also murdered and assaulted others while intoxicated, he was given the sentence of twenty years in prison. Caleb Sharpe had purposely hurt others during school hours, unlike the previous cases. Although he didn’t harm as many people as Couch or Arellano, his punishment was an unforeseen result of forty years in prison. Yet, many people believe that adolescents …show more content…

He unpredictably brought weapons onto his school campus and his reckless actions caused one death and three injured people. This adolescent was held accountable for his terrible behavior by being sent to prison for forty years. Throughout this case, Sharpe showed no remorse and “remained stoic, showing little emotion” (Jahkne). This made the case worse for him since the victims’ families were heartbroken and weren’t given any apologies. Many wanted to blame the situation on Sharpe’s parents, even though they didn't seem to have raised him inappropriately in any way. Psychologists then diagnosed him with conduct disorder but stated that it had nothing to do with his unreasonable actions. These hostile and violent actions of Sharpe demonstrated the essential need for appropriate …show more content…

Many people complain about how juveniles lack brain development and this should be an excuse. It makes others uncertain about trying them as adults since they lack decision-making and impulse control. Despite the lack of development, it’s ideal to recognize that for certain violent crimes, “there have to be consequences to actions” (Ford). Allowing juveniles to simply avoid adult punishment doesn’t help to promote public safety or give adolescents the responsibility they need in the future. But most people believe that juveniles still have room for rehabilitation and change. Adolescents can then be put into rehabilitation programs and detention centers to help them recover without going through the struggle of prison. However, most programs and centers are “meant to be transitional placements, yet over half of the youth they hold are there longer than 90 days” (Sawyer). This proves that juveniles are not being helped and they will not mentally improve. In conclusion, there are many valid arguments that individuals could share about never trying juveniles as adults but it’s unethical to always let them off

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