When you turn a certain age, you gain certain privileges. You achieve certain rewards such as voting rights, the ability to purchase a house, and tobacco products. Most importantly teenagers need the ability to be held responsible for their actions. However, teenagers need to own up to their mistakes and face the consequences because they know what they are doing; they are no longer children who need their hand held by their parents. The age eighteen sounds magical, right? You are considered as an adult, which is a big deal for teens. Most eighteen year olds are not happy about is the fact that they are no longer tried for crimes in juvenile courts. Does one or two years younger than eighteen make a difference is my question. Is it fair for …show more content…
Also if teenagers who commit murder where tried as adults, the number of murder crimes committed by youths would decline. Consequently, in the future the violent crimes in general would decline. Also put yourself in a mother’s position, if your son or daughter just died how would you want their killer to be punished? How would you feel if you never got to see your child again while their killer got a short sentence and can get out and live their life but took your child life forever? Some people believe that we should stop putting teens in adult prison; they believe we should be lenient with them. If teenagers can commit murder like adults, stop treating them like they don’t know any better and serve them with the time they deserve. Some people say morals are learned; others say it’s inherited. Regardless a murder is a murder, you can’t force anybody to kill. A murder is always a murder no matter of age, so if you murder at any age, you should be tried as an adult and possibly face
People argue that some juveniles are “too young and they don’t understand” but either way, they still broke the law and should be fairly punished. A fact stating “There are approximately 6,000 juveniles in adult jails and prisons in the United States” shows that people who have broken the law with felonies have been confined by law, no matter the age. People need to learn before they act in a similar manner, again. A similar case is a boy named Craig Price from Rhode Island who had committed multiple felonies, such as four murders and was charged as a minor, meaning he was arrested around age 16 and would get out and have his criminal record sealed at age 21. Because of this, a law was changed so that juveniles could be tried as adults with serious crimes.
An age requirement of 14 which is in most states is fair compared to others seeing some states allow minors to be tried at just the age of ten to be tried in an adult court. Most states have laws to protect adolescents from being tried as an adult. The article Children in Adult Prison written by EJI says “The law protects children younger than 14 since their brains are still developing. The average age that allows a minor to be tried as an adult is not fair and should be changed so we don't have to fill up adult prisons with kids that may still be in elementary
Nothing changes on one's 18th birthday that merits them a different sentence for their crimes than adults. Critics argue that teenagers have recently become more aware of the consequences of their actions through better education and more access to information from the internet (Goldmark et al Newton). Many teens now understand the severity of murder, being young doesn't immediately make someone incapable of understanding murder or how to kill someone. Age should not define and alter a juvenile's sentencing rules from adults, especially if they have the same or similar understanding of murder as adults. Despite having many leading factors to criminal activity, many are still punished for their crimes, if juveniles don't share that same treatment, then "not enough is being done to serve justice" (Goldmark et al Newton).
In the article “On Punishment and Teen Killers” published by the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange on Aug 2,2011 the author, Jennifer Jenkins, points out how teen killers should be tried as adults for crimes committed at an adult level. Jenkins states that “... I understand how hard it is to accept the reality that a 16 or 17 year old is capable of forming such requisite criminal intent.” If a the teen intended to kill someone then they should be locked up, but if that was not the intention then they should get the help necessary instead of being locked
In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that it is immoral to give juveniles life sentences, even if they commit a crime as serious as murder, because it is a cruel and unusual punishment. This has been an issue in America as teenagers are often treated as adults in court due to a belief that their crimes warrant a harsh punishment. Many believe that these kids should not be given such major sentences because they are still immature and do not have the self control that adults do. I agree that juveniles do not deserve life sentences because they put less thought and planning into these crimes and they often are less malicious than adults. The article “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” explains that the teenagers lose brain tissue that is responsible for self control and impulses (Thompson 7).
We have seen today in society of how crime rates have been rampant and how statistics show that most of the crimes were being made by minors. I believe that when most of them look at the bottom of these young offenders come disproportionately from impoverished single-parent homes that are located in the neighbourhoods desinvertido and have high rates of learning disabilities, mental health, and substance abuse and problems with the help of the system of juvenile justice that can make a great return on a successful transition to adulthood. Their ages ranged from 20 and under, most are under fifteen years of age. Juveniles tried as adults must assume the same consequences as any other criminal and are subject to state prisons with inmates much higher and that have probably committed crimes much more tortuous then you could ever have. These minors between the ages of nine to twenty according to the offence committed or of the number of times that are prosecuted and believe that it is immutable.
As people might argue that teens should not be tried as adults because they are only children and they do not realize their actions;
Then their are kids who make a bad choice and someone gets killed. Teens should be tried as adults for felony crimes in order to rehabilitate, bring justice to the victims and to keep the streets clean of these threats. Some people can learn from their mistakes but some can not. According to “What is the Law in California?” written by the non-profit organization Campaign for Youth Justice, Proposition
When people commit crimes, there should be disciplined no matter what. Juveniles need to learn that their behaviors have consequences. Why should kids be given any less of a punishment for committing the same crime? According to one author, “Taking a life is murder regardless of the age of the offender, and the penalties to be imposed must not discriminate. After all, the victim’s life will never be returned, and the family will permanently lose their loved one” (“7 Top Pros and Cons of Juveniles Being Tried As Adults”).
Juveniles should be tried as adults due to being aware of their crimes and having an intention to kill, however, brain development and maturity can play a role into the reason why teens kill. With being tried as an adult juveniles should be granted the opportunity of freedom pending on their rehabilitation status and if requirements are not met, convicts will have to complete the remainder of their sentence. People have long argued that juveniles who commit a murder should not be tried as an adult due the juvenile not being aware of their crime. Awareness, as defined by the Webster Dictionary, is “the knowledge and understanding that something is happening or exists”. Having the perception to comprehend the occurrence of an event is not a dumbfounded characteristic.
In our society, crimes are being committed not only by adults but by juveniles as well. By law as soon as a person turns 18 they are considered to be an adult. So what if an adult and a juvenile were to commit the same crime yet were sentenced differently simply based on the fact that one is a child and one is an adult? Juveniles are committing violent crimes just as adults and should be given the equal treatment and sentencing as adults receive. Juveniles aren’t completely ignorant as everyone seems to think.
Those in favor of trying juveniles as adults believe that it deters and minimizes crimes being committing by all minors. That trying juveniles as adults will bring the greatest good to the most amount of people. According to an article posted by the American Bar Association by Nicole Scialabba, “the increase in laws that allow more juveniles to be prosecuted in adult court rather than juvenile court was intended to serve as a deterrent for rising youth violent crime.” It is no secret that youth commit crimes in our society. In 2014, law enforcement agencies in the U.S. made an estimated 1 million arrests of persons under age 18 (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention).
Juveniles should be convicted as adults for violent crimes because it is not fair for juveniles to commit big crimes and get away with it so easily. If they want to act like adults, they should be treated. Some teens commit crimes and don't have a really good excuse on why they do it. In the article “On Punishment and Teen Killers” by Jennifer Jenkins she explains how the teenager that killed her sister, husband and her unborn child excuse of killing them was that he just wanted to “see what it would feel like to shoot someone”, which is no good excuse for what he did to this family. Another example from Jennifer's Jenkins article she states how “undeveloped brain” has nothing to do with teens committing these crimes.
Juvenile Justice Should juveniles get treated as adults that’s one of the biggest controversy in our nation now days, with many juveniles committing crimes that are inconceivable according to their age. Judges have the last word on how to treat this young people. Many people argue that “the teens that are under eighteen are only kids, they won’t count them as young adults, not until they commit crimes. And the bigger the crime, the more eager this people are to call them adults” (Lundstrom 87). This is why people can’t come to a decision as how these young people should be treated like.
The consequences may affect the minors negatively. Minors have a higher chance of rehabilitation if they are tried through juvenile court so that they can become better members of civilization. Despite that, some people think that minors may not learn their lesson if they are put through juvenile court, but minors should not be treated the same as adults. Minors should be treated for their age, not their crime so that they have the opportunity to change and become a better member of