Whenever people say that juveniles should be subject to lesser sentences seeing as they are children, it makes no sense. Age does not justify committing a crime. These criminals do not wake up one morning and decide to kill or rape. These criminal-like thoughts are always there, even subconsciously. Jennifer Jenkins, a graduate of Duke University School of Law, reports that
Juveniles should be charged as adult not only because of their age but because of the crime they committed. According to all cases of teen killing there is 1,300 that has been sentenced as an adult to life. Is not right to put a child behind bars because they're brain is not fully developed so they're not mature, but a crime is a crime. At the young age of 12, 13, 14 even younger kids most of them are expected to know what they want to commit themselves to to make a living. If kids are given that much responsibility and such a young age, then why can't they comprehend the consequences of violent crimes such as armed robbery and murder?
In the article it states, “The court said that minors who commit terrible crimes are less responsible than adults: They are less mature, more susceptible to peer pressure, and their personalities are not yet fully formed.” In this quote the author is reasoning against life without parole because they are less mature and not fully developed. Although all crimes deserve proper punishment, juveniles should not receive life without parole because they are still developing and this punishment leaves no room for a second chance
Paul Thompson states that, “Research on the human brain has shown, Brazill-and any other young teen-is far from adulthood.” If the research is correct, then we as humans should not charge them as equal to adults, they are completely different! They have a completely different mindset. “But what really caught our eye was a massive loss of brain tissue that occurs in the teenage years. The loss was like a wildfire, and you could see it in every teenager.” This evidence shows how teenagers do not think properly just like young teens, they have a completely different mindset. They do may not think of the consequences, or may have a weaker mental barrier to block all the hate or stress.
As Gail Garinger stated on his article Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences, adolescents sentenced to die in prisons “were told that they could never change and that no one cared what became of them.” He explains how these kids are “left without help or hope.” This means that juveniles who get sentenced to life in prison do not have the opportunity to educate themselves, rehabilitate, or enjoy life again. They are simply existing inside four walls that separate them from the real world. This is not a proper punishment for juveniles. They do not learn or change when they are sentenced to life without parole. They just become more violent or develop mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety.
There are other alternatives beside adult court for juveniles who commit serious crimes. Many minors who commit serious crimes and are put into adult jails under complete lockdown are driven to insanity, provided not all the children who killed did it just because; for a lot of them it was self-defense, and if you put them in a separate section in juvenile hall with other kids who committed crimes like their own then they can have positive interaction but still be kept under lock and key. Should those youth who were protecting themselves be condemned to living in solitude for the rest of their lives for defending his/her self? There are always alternative choices. There is always a right and a wrong even if the lines are blurred.
When children and teens commit a violent crime such as murder, courts convict them as adults. This means that children as young as eight have been tried as adults in court. Eventually, these convicts will be housed in jails with adults. Despite the federal law stating that juvenile and adult inmates must be separated, most states do not comply with these rules. Furthermore, a law that varies throughout the states is the age in which courts send the children to adult or juvenile prisons.
Juvenile Justice Essay In the United States, there have been many cases where a juvenile would be found guilty and be tried as an adult. There are other cases where those juveniles are tried as adult forever. I am against charging juveniles as adults when they commit violent crimes, the juveniles lose many educational opportunities and the adult system is far too dangerous for the young juveniles. Juveniles are also young kids but only the fact that they do not get the same amount of education or experience that other teens gain. According to the article The Steep Costs of Keeping Juveniles in Adult Prisons by Jessica Lahey, the author states that the juveniles “lose more than their freedom when they enter adult prisons; they lose out on the educational and
Imagine you are being sentenced to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole at the age of 14 . Your naive self was present during the scene of a crime where someone was murdered. You, yourself didn’t do anything, but the judge feels you don’t deserve to ever be a free man or live a normal life. In similar instances, this is the reality of many juvenile inmates, who are currently spending the rest of their lives behind bars. The controversy that surrounds adolescent punishment in the United States is constantly being justified.
The minor does not know their rights from wrongs at their young age. Minors do not often understand what they have done, and killing does not bring justice. Violence is not the answer, and brings out the worst in most individuals. Minors cannot drive, drink alcohol, nor vote, so why should they be convicted of an adult crime if they cannot do things adults can? According to apecsec.org, minors understand right and wrong for the most part, but they do not process the fact that one wrong action can lead to execution.