Teenagers Do Horrible Crimes

Criminals come from all types of different backgrounds, racial identities, religions, and even age groups. There’s no one single thing that can define who can be a criminal or who is capable of a crime, even an extreme one like murder. Adults go to court and get a minimum of ten years in prison and that’s that, there’s nothing to argue as to how to try them. That small percentage of those teens who commit those crimes however, are an interesting exception as they can usually go both ways. In some cases like Alex and Derek King, he got tried as a juvenile and others like Greg Ousley, he got tried as an adult. Yes, there are specific circumstances to each case and they’re all different and should be treated differently, but ultimately I believe

In the article, “Why Did Eric Kill?”, it says, "But [Eric] Smith's bright red hair and freckles made him a target at school for years. And as a teenager, he was seen pedaling around town for hours on end -- alone."(Rebecca Leung). The article explains, in Smith's opinion, as to why he did what he did. He was bullied in school throughout elementary and middle school. Being bullied by anyone is a very hard thing to go through. Eric Smith was in no was justified in the crime he committed, but if Smith's bullying did not happen, he most likely wouldn't have committed that crime. Bullying and domestic abuse can end up leading to a lot of bottled up anger, which can also lead to violence and for those who can't control their anger is dangerous. In the documentary mentioned earlier, it discussed the abuse that Nathaniel Abraham went through at home, which plays a major part as to how someone grows up. He, too, was affected by the abuse that he went through, which led them to be believe that violence was their only option. The memories of bullying and domestic abuse stays with a person even after getting tried and going to prison. The mental health of the child would only get worse in an adult prison as the right help and therapy wouldn't be available to them. At least with being tried as a juvenile those resources could be made useful to the criminal to help them deal with internal issues so they don’t go