Any minor sending or receiving explicit photos of another minor has committed three felonies: promoting, distributing, and possessing child pornography. And according to a study done by MTV, 24% of 14 to 17 years olds have been involved in one or more of these activities. The criminal charge for consensual sexting between minors has the potential to convict an entire generation of children as registered sex offenders therefore must be changed to a more reasonable punishment. In North Carolina authorities discovered a teenage couple ages 16 and 17 exchanging nude photos. According to the Michigan Chronicle, the boy was charged with “two counts of second-degree sexual exploitation and three counts of third-degree exploitation.” He could face up to 10 years in prison and be forced to register as a sex offender.
It’s unfair to punish teenagers for something so natural, especially if they are doing it safely and with consent. And while most adults would be concerned about dropping the age of consent to 15, any teenager will tell you that it shouldn't be illegal. Young adults already have so much going on in their lives, they don't want to worry about their significant other going to jail because someone found out they had sex. Anyone above the age of 15 is most
More so, “juveniles in adult facilities are at increased risk of being physically and sexually assaulted” (Adolescent Development and Competency Guidebook, n.d., p. 12). A minor may become a victim of other inmates and potentially the staff members. The guidebook also points out, minors are five times more likely than an adult to become a victim of physical or sexual abuse in an adult facility (Adolescent Development and Competency Guidebook, n.d.). Another challenge of putting minors in an adult facility is the staff members are not trained to deal with them. They do not understand the needs and characteristics of an adolescent offender (Adolescent Development and Competency Guidebook, n.d.).
Teenagers who commit adult crimes should indeed be tried as an adult. I believe they should be accountable for their actions and tried as adults. Babies as young as 6 months seem to know when they are doing something wrong or right. Many people don’t agree, but put it this way, if a teenager hurt one of your family members and there was no justice to what they did, but keep in my mind you will never see your child or family member anymore you just want to get justice for the person who dared to hurt your child. Many people use the phrase “ They inherit it from their parents” (Jessica p.1).
In conclusion as to how to treat teens who commit crimes I would say that it really depends on how serious is the crime they commit, but I believe that juveniles that are 15 and older should be convicted as adults because they have taken some responsibilities at that age and are old enough to know the difference between right and wrong in certain situations. Being a teen myself my parents have taught me to be held accountable for my actions, and what I do is for a reason. With teens committing crimes it should be the same. Become older only increases your knowledge and capacity to learn what is right from
Sexual offences are also prevalent among juvenile offenders. Most of these offenders are males between the ages of 14-18 and the victims are usually females of the same age group. Magistrate Phulchere (2015), however, states that although this is a problem, there should be a more effective way of dealing with it other than brining it before the court system. She states that while the victim is underage, there is usually “consent” from the girls (although legally there cannot be consent since she is underage) and the situation is more a matter of adolescents “fiddling around with sex.” Phulchere states that she finds the idea of sending a young boy to Bordelaise or the Boys Training Centre very difficult in such cases, rather than taking the
Many Americans argue that teens should be tried as adults for the violent crimes they commit. Teenage murder rates have been increasing over time. Yes, there are people that think these teens shouldn't be tried as adults because of how young they are. However, I disagree, these criminals that get released are mainly the juveniles who committed adult crimes. I believe that teens should be tried as adults for many reasons.
Not only can pedophiles not be caught for years and years, they can have plenty of victims without anybody blinking an eye and realizing the signs around them, people should be informed about signs especially relating to young child pedophilia/molestation. Lastly, although pedophilia is extremely serious and may become harmful towards his/her victims, with the right and proper medical care and rehabilitation if possible, patients and sufferers may be cured, or recover from such illness and become
A writer for The Economist by the name of Estudillo Mary Onelia had a very strong opinion on this topic. Onella stated, “Trying minors as adults will toughen the system and hold someone responsible. Minors must be fully culpable for their behavior if we are to deter future delinquents from committing violent crimes,” however; this is not the case. Placing a juvenile in prison is not teaching them how to be lawful adults it is locking them up in a building where they are exposed to older criminals whom will not set them on a successful
For example, in the article “Kids are Kids-Until They Commit Crimes”, in paragraph 4 & 5, it states “Hey, they’re only kids. That is, until they foul up. Until they commit crimes. And the bigger the crime, the more eager we are to call them adults.” I chose this example because I believe that it shows that people are easily convinced that if a juvenile commits a crime, they are branded as an adult. This is unfair.