Why Juveniles Should Be Tried As Adults

Pretend that you are in court for a crime that you have committed. Would it be fair if you were to carry a heavier sentence because you were tried as an adult instead of a juvenile? Unfortunately, between 2007 to 2008, the number of juveniles treated like adults in court has -nearly tripled. (Hernandez, 2008) Is this fair to them? Instead of being punished like teenagers, they are unfairly locked up in facilities with other criminals much older than them. This is an act of injustice and should not be happening. In any case, a juvenile that commits a crime should be treated as just what they are, a juvenile. This is because the teenage brain is still developing, the consequences lead to more crime, and the prosecution of the juveniles leads to negative effects after release.

As you grow up, especially in your teenage years, you experience a lot of change, specifically in your brain. What studies have shown were that “During adolescence, the brain undergoes dramatic changes to the structure and function of the brain impacting the way youth process and react to information.” (Arya, 9) Not only does that change disrupt your decision makings, your brain is rapidly growing into something that more resembles an adult. Therefore, it is simply not capable of being fully responsible for the sometimes unwise things that we do. Additionally, according to the article written about a study of the teenage brain,“Stranger still, brain cells and connections are only being lost in the areas controlling impulses, risk-taking, and self-control.” (Thompson, 2001) That itself can explain why juveniles should not be held accountable for their risky actions; their brain is simply not developed