Youth Incarceration In Prisons

Cover page Introduction to area of speech pathology practice to be covered in professional resource In Australia, the youth justice system deals with young people, aged 10-17, who have committed, or allegedly committed a crime. The youth justice system is made up of police, courts and supervision (custodial or community-based) (gov website). The high prevalence of communication impairments within youth justice settings necessitates the need for speech pathology intervention with this population. This background statement will outline the role of speech pathology in working with vulnerable populations in schools and youth justice settings. Target audience for professional resource

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).

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

There are more than 2,000 child offenders serving life without parole sentences in United States prisons for crimes committed before the age of 18 and Lolita Barthel is one of them. The United States is one of only a few countries in the world that permits children who commit crimes to be sentenced to prison forever, without any possibility of release. Only eight states in this country Alaska, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, New Mexico, New York, and West Virginia and the District of Columbia prohibit life without parole for youthful offenders. Unfortunately, adolescents, like adults, commit horrible crimes and make terrible mistakes. And, like adults, they should be held accountable but in accordance with their age, stage of development, and greater capacity for rehabilitation.

Crimes are happening around us whether we pay attention to them or not. Those crimes as dangerous as murder are committed by all ages but should younger criminal in their juvenile age received the same punishment as older criminals. On June 25, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles committed murder could not be sentenced to life in prison because it violates the Eighth Amendment.(On-Demand Writing Assignment Juvenile Justice) Advocates on the concurring side believes that mandatory life in prison is wrong and should be abolish. However, the dissenting side believe that keeping the there should be a life in prison punishment for juvenile who commit heinous crime regardless of their age.

There are certain instances of juveniles being tried as adults and sometimes ending up getting a life sentence without a chance of parole. I find that pretty harsh because there have been some cases where the juvenile meant no harm, they were either confused or brought along by gang members and they end up being charged along with the gang members for just being with them when a crime goes down. I believe that juveniles do not deserve to be given a life sentence because for one they are still maturing, they can learn from their mistakes and make amends, we still have to combat crimes like intended murder committed by a juvenile with extreme punishments especially if they are well over the age of 16. In the article published by the New York Times on March 14, 2012 “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences”, Garinger discusses that juveniles deserve a second chance since their brains are still developing.

Juveniles should be tried as adults with life without parole but only in certain cases: depending on their motive or modus operandi, their crime, and criminal background. Motivation Scandalous kids who commit crimes for unreasonable motives should most definitely have life without the possibility of parole. In some cases, they’re just doing what they think is best. Jacob Ind, a 15 year old from Colorado, was beaten and sexually molested by his step father. His mother abused him as well.

The unfaltering dissension about sentencing juveniles to life in prison without parole has yielded opposition in the criminal justice system and dysfunction towards the young lives facing unsettled, extreme punishment for their mitigating crimes. While this particular topic can branch to very detailed discussions in divergent aspects such as: socially, politically, scientifically, and morally, it should be eliminated to only two characteristics: is it fair and is it right? Although it seems painless and facile to act on impulse when punishing juvenile criminals severely, the consequences are ineffective and adverse to the needs of the victims, the development of adolescent offenders, and the primary function of the criminal justice system.

Teenagers in society today are committing crimes and thinking that they are just going to get a slap on the wrist but what they do not know is that these judges are now making examples out of them. The judges are now taking the crimes these juveniles are committing more serious than before and sometimes. Some judges are giving juveniles a break and giving them probation or letting them go on parole but putting stipulations on the probation like them must complete certain treatment programs, take certain class (anger management) to help them control their problems they are having (Young, Farrell & Taxman, 2013). Race plays a huge part in society when dealing with juveniles and them receiving a certain punishment (Morgan, 2014). For example,

Statistics have shown, “In a study of 1,042 juveniles prosecuted and sentenced in Pennsylvania adult criminal court showed that juveniles received harsher sentences in adult than did young adults, even controlling for legal factors such as offense seriousness and prior record” (Whitehead 212). Statistics have also shown when a juvenile is in an adult facility; he or she is more likely to become a reoffender because he or she is treated as an adult rather than a child. (Whitehead 213). The brain function of a child is not mentally capable of understanding the punishment he or she receives if he or she is able to see the harsh crimes which go on behind the bars of an adult correctional

These individuals are surrounded and being influenced by men or women who have done heinous crimes, nowhere near the kind of help they need to improve their violent life. Considering discussions in class, we read that Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan stated that, “Mandatory life without parole for a juvenile precludes consideration of [his or her age and doesn’t help with maturity and learn from the consequences]”. This represents that from a higher vision, giving these juveniles life without parole won’t enhance their lives for the better. Letting them undergo being tried as an adult could restrict them from the opportunity of an education or job as well. From this discouraging discovery, “it makes sense that young people who go through the adult system are 34 percent more likely than those in the juvenile system to be re-arrested”.

Jessie Townsend May 3rd, 2016 Prof. Allen Wong ASOC283 Why Kids Get Life The documentary “When Kids Get Life” delves into four cases involving juveniles who are serving life without parole in Colorado prisons. All of these juveniles are serving this time due to first degree murder among other charges they have received. The ages of these juveniles at the time of their crimes range from fifteen to seventeen and all of them still currently remain incarcerated. By applying different delinquency theories to each case, there is a chance that one could explain or even rationalize why these juveniles committed the crimes that they did.

It starts with a phone call from an unknown caller at 3:29 in the morning. Jamie answers his phone but he hears nothing on the other side. He is unsettled but goes back to bed. Two years ago, Jamie’s sister Cate was sentenced to juvenile detention for burning down a neighbor’s horse barn and accidentally hurting a high school friend. Cate had always been a good girl growing up but things started changing leading up to her arrest: she became restless and moody, started to take drugs, to act up, to lie and to steal.

Most of the juveniles have lack of education, the increased use and the availability of guns and drugs. There are many solutions that will help young minorities not commit crimes, building the economy again, changing the community so there would be no access to drugs. Regardless of the sides, it is clear that previous increases as well as recent decreases in violent crime committed are unreasonably generated by the nation’s youth. All minority groups are classified differently and treated differently in the system. The justice system seems to treat African American and Hispanic people differently from other minorities groups.

Juveniles Justice Juveniles who are criminals being sentenced to life without parole can be shocking to some people. I believe if a juvenile is able to commit a crime, then they are able to do the time. The article “Startling finds on Teenage Brains” talks about how the brain can be different from the time you are teens to the time you are an adult. After, considering both sides on juvenile justice it is clear that juveniles should face life without parole because they did the crime so they can do the time. Also I believe the juvenile’s age should not influence the sentence and the punishment give.