Drug sentencing is unfair to minorities in many different ways. More than 1 in 4 blacks and Hispanics, compared to 1 in 7 whites, were in jail for drug charges. (Profit of jail inmate 1996) In 1986 the average federal drug sentence for African American was 11% higher than whites, 4 years later it was 49% higher. People of color are typically sentenced to longer jail and prison terms than white counterparts convicted of the same offenses. Ronald Reagan pushed the war on drugs to take the drugs off the street.
However, after legalization, these drugs would be much more widely and easily available. Not only will they be more available for adults, but they will also be available for the American youth. Legalization of illegal drugs could cause a pediatric pandemic of drug abuse and addiction. For example, 87% of high school seniors report using alcohol, more than half in the past month. Opposite the high rates of alcohol and tobacco use by teenagers, only 18% of seniors use illicit drugs, which are illegal for the entire society.
Problems with treating youth sex offenders the same as adult sex offenders .Compared with youth committed to a juvenile facility, a child sentenced to serve time in the adult system spends his/her formative years in a prison environment where he or she is: twice as likely to be beaten by staff, 50% more likely to be attacked with a weapon, and nearly eight times more likely to commit suicide. Treating youth in the juvenile justice system rehabilitates them more effectively, reduces recidivism, and saves taxpayer money. (Ryan, Leversee, and lane ) Age of consent laws can unfairly criminalize adolescent behavior. Almost all sexual behavior by children who are below the age of consent is against the
Walter tries to push forward the question “Should youth be trialled as adults?” to make the audience consider whether it is correct to hold minors in an adult prison and fact is that the USA Justice System incarcerates more youth than any other country in the world. This was found on (eji.org.eji.com). Steve Harmon is a 16 year old boy on trial for felony murder and he gets sent to an adult prison which is what Walter is trying to get us to think about, Whether it’s fair if Steve or any other minor should be in an adult prison at 16 years of age. The quote “The best time to cry is at night” that Walter had used at the start of the novel writing in Steve’s own words from inside the adult prison is to show the audience that it is not a nice nor safe place in there. This is because Steve was pointing out that if you made a noise in there or if anyone heard you crying they would immediately put all attention onto you as they would take you as a ‘whimp’.
Even though stats say something else, the media automatically portrays the teenagers as the bad guy. Eighty five percent of the murders are done by adults. With titles such as “children having sex” and “killer kids” it is clearly shows why such abuses are the key factors in violence, pregnancy, drug abuse and suicide among teenagers. ) This shows that what people assume to be reality, may in fact be incorrect. But these assumptions again are based off of what society
Shockingly, most U.S. children who commit a crime are gang affiliated. This is not only a problem within the United States, it is vastly becoming a prevalent problem across the globe. Research proves that youth who identify themselves as gang member have a higher level of self-reported delinquent behavior than did their non-gang counterparts ( Curry, Decker, & Egley Jr, 2002). Gaining a better understanding of why children turn to gangs is the first preventive measure in decreasing delinquency amongst youth and in turn pointless
Tia Briggs Ms. Simpkins English 11.5th hour October 17, 2012 Juvenile offenders tried as adults “You are here-by sentenced to life in prison”, is an intimidating adult-like sentence that many young offenders have heard in their short lives. Youth violence has become a national concern, and juvenile arrests are steadily rising. Some offenders can range from 9 years of age up to 18 years old and despite their ages, can commit crimes that you never thought they could or would even think of committing. Some are rapist, gang-members and even murderers. However, regardless of the crimes they have committed, they are young children that have not had a chance to explore life and everything that it has
Child adult incest most commonly occurs from a father or a stepfather to a daughter. There are also many of uncle to niece. Mother/stepmother to son is less prevalent but more than father to son, which does occur but seems to be rare. When a child grows up being sexually abused in a home they often grow up to suffer from low self-esteem. Other problems such as depression, personality disorders, sexual disorders, substance abuse and others may stem from being sexually abused as a
Children have always been a concern when it comes to drug use. Kleiman also stated "Prevention programs, mostly concentrated on schoolchildren, have only limited efficacy: even the best programs produce only modest gains, perhaps reducing the rate of cannabis initiation by age 13 from 12 percent to nine percent"(3). Peer pressure from other teens or the associating of drugs in pop culture to make it look like a cool thing to do. Addictions cost tax payers lots of money every year from court costs, prisons, and treatment facilities. Lets look at some of the pros of the
“Statistically black youths only account for 16% of the general population, yet are involved in 52% of the violent crimes and 33% of property crimes.” (Slowikowski & Acting, 2012). Economic factors dictate the crime rates even more so now than ever. With the youths it is more of a spinoff of the adult population involved in any type of violent or property crimes. Although the actual offense for which the juvenile is adjudicated as committing is a guiding issue, when at all reasonable a juvenile is to be placed back into his or her home and provided services through community-based programs. In regard to this type of placement option, there are not enough resources available to provide appropriate services to a juvenile offender serving probation from his or her home.