Children and adolescents, regardless of their race, gender, culture or economic status appear to be at approximately equal risk for sexual victimization. Statistics show that girls are the gender most subjected to sexual abuse. However, studies have shown that boys, and later, men are more inclined not to report their victimization; perhaps for reason of societal pressure to be proud of their sexual activity (regardless of how unwanted this may have been at the time) proving this crime to be categorized under the abstract theory. So how do we understand the behaviour of an abuser? It is a common place to attach labels to criminals in an attempt to explain and better understand their behaviour through describing them as possessing a certain characteristic trait.
In her essay, Why Juvenile Detention makes Teens Worse, Maia Szalavitz claims that those adolescent who entered the Juvenile justice system even briefly are more likely to be arrested later on in their adult life than those who have never been in the Juvenile system. Jennifer Gonnerman agrees. In her essay entitled, “The lost Boys of Tyron” she confirms the problem and suggests a solution. They both feel that that the Juvenile system is poor, but Szalavitz further believes that it has to do with the lack of positive direction in peer groups that cause kids to be worst. “By having them together, they form relationships.” When they are among so many different criminal associations with different behaviors this is more likely to increase the problem plus group experience tends to glamorize delinquency and drug use.
A minor in general is someone under the age of 18. So the question at hand is should minors be tried as adults for crimes that they have committed? The answer is no (excluding murders)because in most cases minors are peer pressured into doing things that are not acceptable, and in some cases, can change as they grow and mature into adults. How about rehabilitation in a suitable facility can be a start, and then education and special activities can follow. According to (Zimring,1978) “The view is that young offenders deserved less severe punishment than adults justified the separate juvenile justice system and persisted, seemingly with broad public support, throughout most of the last century”.
Youth that hang around people their age that are making bad choices and not abiding the law will involve in crimes with friends who are doing the same. Their environment can cause them to act out in negative ways, the lack of positive adults, abuse and neglect, and too much idle time and not enough planned activities. Children should not be tried as adults. “The United States Supreme Court has ruled that there are limitations on the punishment juveniles can receive even when they are tried in adult court. The law considers youth crimes to be less culpable than adult, therefore juvenile punishment should not be as severe as those available for adults, even for the exact same crime.” The punishment of a 14 year old, Arkansas teenager who wasn’t the triggerman at a video rental store that he and his robbed was fair.
President Mark Soler of the Washington, D.C., Youth Law Center points out that adolescents/children are required by law to be incarcerated separately from adults. However, the overwhelmed juvenile justice system lets the adult criminal justice system handle many youth offenders. This causes numerous negative effects for convicted juveniles. The law recognizes that adolescents/children are less equipped to make important decisions than adults are. Yet the law fails to distinguish between adolescents/children and adults when it comes to spending the rest of their lives in prison for crimes they have committed before their 18th birthday.
The Need for Harsher Sentencing for Convicted Sex Offenders In our day and age, I honestly believe that convicted sex offenders are not being punished sufficly. First off, the sentencings on some of the crime classifications are atrocious not only to the victims, but also to victims that have yet to go through the situation with their children. Second, not all crimes that are committed are subject to register to the sex offender list. Lastly, not all crimes that are committed are subject to life time monitoring, which in my opinion should be mandatory for if not all, most sexual acted crimes committed. To begin with, some of the sentencing for sex offenses is out of control.
Jeb Bush, the governor said after Brazill was sentenced “There is a different standard for children, there should be some sensitivity that a 14-year-old is not a little adult." Drug addicts and alcoholics attend rehab to help them with their problems. Why can’t juveniles get that same treatment? It damages juveniles In addition to juvenile incarceration is unfair, but also it damages juveniles. Gondles said “Kids today may be maturing physically earlier than before, but mentally they still require teaching, training, loving, skill building and learning through years of maturity”.
And if they do, they know they have a better chance of getting off easy because they are tried as teens and not adults. I think we should be tougher on those teens who decide to commit violent crimes. There should be a law that states everyone over 12 years old will be tried as adults. I can’t say it’s going to stop all the criminals together but it will definitely convince potential and actual teenage offenders that committing adult crimes will get you hard adult time. If we were try teenage offenders of violent crime in adult court, adult charges would then force them to think like adults about their actions.
Justice has evolved a great deal, especially when the death penalty is involved. It is cruel and unusual punishment to end such young misguided lives. Justice has come such a great deal over the years, yet has it come far enough? When we think of children, juveniles, things such as murder, death row, and life without parole usually do not come to mind. Should we hold juveniles responsible for the wrongful decisions that they make at an early age?
1.1 - Explain the issues that may affect young people who are excluded, including access to services or amenities, crime or anti-social behaviour, isolation or stigmatisation. It has been proven that young people who are excluded from school or choose not to go to school by the age of around 12 or 13 are more than likely to go and take part in anti-social behaviour, crime, drinking, drug use and underage sex. They are more likely to move onto more serious crime and drug use later in their lives as they will not have any qualifications or experience or be able to successfully get and maintain a job although most of them have an ambition to work, but some would happily accept to live their full life on benefits. When a child or young person is excluded from school they may get bored of having nothing to do and hang around the streets either on their own, or with older people who have left school or have also been excluded. These young people them become a nuisance for other people such as shopkeepers, if they are hanging around at the local shops causing trouble.