If your son or daughter were killed by a seventeen-year-old, would you be able to accept the fact that the murderer would be walking the streets again in less than a year because the law allows those under eighteen to be tried as juveniles? Forty-four states and Washington, DC, passed several laws between 1992 and 1997 enabling the judiciary to transfer juveniles to the adult court system. Today, murders committed by adults have decreased over 18%, but murders by juveniles have increased 22% (O’Connor, 2004). Throughout this paper I am going to explain why many criminologists feel juveniles commit crimes, I am also going to discuss the "Three Strikes and You're Out" laws, the three ways a juvenile can end up in adult court, why juveniles should be tried as adults and also why trying juveniles as adults will benefit our youth because adult courts allow juvenile cases to be tried in front of juries; which are usually more sympathetic to juvenile offenders. I will also incorporate the views of people who oppose trying juveniles as adults and their reasons for this.
IS IT FAIR FOR JUVENILES TO BE TRIED ADULTS AND IS IT FAIR TO GIVE THEM LIFE SENTENCES? April 5, 2013 Abstract The court system has been trying to figure out how to properly handle and reprimand minors who commit severe crimes like murder. They struggle between giving them the death sentence or just trying them as an adult and giving them a life sentence. The majority of these cases wind up putting the juvenile in prison for life. For years the courts and people of America have wondered if giving life sentences to youths are fair and just.
1st Paragraph: The term juvenile delinquent is a person who is under age and commits an act that otherwise would have been charged as a crime if they were an adult. Our society is vulnerable to lots of things terrorism, natural disasters, war, economy, etc. They are most vulnerable to are innocent youth. The youth isn’t always innocent. In 2006, law enforcement agencies reported 1,337,365 arrests of persons under age 18.
A Problem With The Court System: Should We Lower The Age Of Conviction For Minors? Jessie L. Blair Flagler College SOC 260 R. Parker Abstract: The Juvenile Justice System is a specific branch of the court system that deals with the prosecution and imprisonment of minors, or people below the legal age of eighteen who have committed crimes. These individuals are dealt with by the juvenile courts, their sentence is determined by them, and they are dealt with entirely by the juvenile facilities. However, some believe that the age in which children are finally considered “adults” is not accurate and that the Juvenile court system is too lenient when it comes to “children” committing serious crimes. This paper will address the idea of lowering the legal age, so that those individuals in the proper age range who commit certain serious crimes will be tried as adults, thus receiving the proper
The article expounds on some key statistics that suggest that young people are 36 more times to commit suicide in an adult prison than a juvenile facility. It also speaks to the outcome of young people who survive an adult facility. They return to society as damaged and dangerous people and are more likely to commit violent crimes and add to the recidivism rate. This article reinforces my opinion and advocates my stance on children in jails with adults. A quote from the article that puts it in perspective says, “The rush to criminalize children has set the country on a dangerous path.
Moreover, there’s no rehabilitation in adult prisons, just confinement to an overcrowded cell. Therefore, for a juvenile sent to an adult facility, there’s no rehabilitation for them, which is geared toward helping them reenter society upon completion of their sentence. For instance, if a juvenile is thrown into the adult court system and put on trial to the same degree as an adult, judges regularly fail to structure a shorter end of a punishment. Most states want judges to levy a life sentence, parole not an option upon guilty verdict for certain crimes, in spite of age. The adult prison system method tends to result in impending offences.
(Reaves) Furthermore, juveniles to be tried as adults is that it'll not only make them understand the consequences of their action, but also prevent them from committing any further crimes, knowing fully well that they are not given any special consideration because of their age factor. It will thus lower the crime rate in society. When there are harsh punishments meted out on children who commit crimes, others will learn from their mistakes and deter from doing anything drastic like such. (Reaves) For example, when my niece sees one of my cousins get into trouble for something they did. For instance, take something that does not belong to them or break a toy that is also is not theirs, its helps and understand what my niece should not do.
To begin, teenagers have an undeveloped brain that acts very similar to those of “seriously impaired” adults (Krikorian 39). According the article “Many Kids Called Unfit for Adult Trial…” by Greg Krikorian, “Thousands of juveniles tried as adults in the U.S. may be incompetent to stand trial because they are emotionally or intellectually unable to contribute to their own defense.” The brain of a teenager experiences major loss of brain tissue that controls their cognitive development, or the ability to control impulses, risk-taking, and self control (Thompson 45-46). This means that even though their accountability is not affected, teens still cannot control their erratic
Vanessa Rodriguez Ms.Lockhart Research Paper Period 2 December 4, 2012 Juvenile Justice Essay It has been said that trying adolescents as adults is unfair and unjust. The “adolescent-as-child” view contends that adolescents are by nature substantially different from adults, and as such, separate legal rights and standards should be applied to address the differences of each age group. To understand the unfairness for trying teens as adults can be seen in past court cases. Also a kids age and intelligence impacts their defence in court. When a teen is being tried for accused crimes in which they are going to court for are judged in an unfair manner that results in their prison sentences.
Accepting Responsibility Across the country, juveniles are making bad decisions and heading down the wrong path. According to statistics, over one million juveniles come through the court system each year and about 200 thousand get charged as adults. Harsher penalties should be enforced upon juvenile law breakers in order to teach them the consequences of their actions, save money, and to avoid repeat offenders. Many believe that it is a terrible idea to send any child or teenager to an adult prison. They believe that these juveniles would be victim of sexual, physically, and mentally abuse.