After watching the eleven segment series of “When Kids Get Life,” I was shocked at the stories of these kids who were sent to prison for life. I thought the whole idea of prison was to treat those who do not fit in society, and to keep those who refuse to get better out of society. A child is too young to not have a chance to get better. What are the different pros and cons of sending a child to prison for the left of his or her life? I will get int that later, but I did not notice a girl that was sent to prison for life. I wonder what the ratio is of guys to girls that are sent to prison for life before the age of eighteen. If I had to guess, I would guess more than ninety percent are guys and less than ten percent is girls. Some of the stories from the boys who were abused and …show more content…
Otherwise, I would say up to 15-20 years if they looked like the wanted to get better. The act of hate towards someone who was abusing you, is more understanding then a hateful crime against someone completely random. The cost of keeping someone in prison for fifty years is enormous when there is nothing for them to do to get better or rejoin society. I also believe we need a new way to execute prisoners with a lower cost. As long as the hate crime is just towards something specific like an abuser, they should not be locked up for life. Society has had a change in attitude and have not been giving kids a chance to correct their actions. The law treats parents who kill their kids more lightly compared to kids who kill their parents. This is an issue because parents should know better of what is right and wrong. Some kids are still learning what is all right and wrong. One mistake from a child should not keep his life locked up, if he shows like he or she wants to be treated and get better. I think some laws may change in the future giving minors a
Every civilization in history has had rules, and citizens who break them. To this day governments struggle to figure out the best way to deal with their criminals in ways that help both society and those that commit the crimes. Imprisonment has historically been the popular solution. However, there are many instances in which people are sent to prison that would be better served for community service, rehab, or some other form of punishment. Prison affects more than just the prisoner; the families, friends, employers, and communities of the incarcerated also pay a price. Prison as a punishment has its pros and cons; although it may be necessary for some, it can be harmful for those who would be better suited for alternative means of punishment.
Heinous crimes are considered brutal and common among adults who commit these crimes, but among children with a young age, it is something that is now being counted for an adult trial and punishable with life sentencing. Although some people agree with this decision being made by judges, It is my foremost belief that juveniles don’t deserve to be given life sentencing without being given a chance at rehabilitation. If this goes on there’s no point in even having a juvenile system if children are not being rehabilitated and just being sent off to prison for the rest of their lives and having no chance getting an education or future. Gail Garinger’s article “ juveniles Don’t deserve Life sentence”, written March 14, 2012 and published by New york Times, mentions that “ Nationwide, 79 adolescents have been sentenced to die in prison-a sentence not imposed on children anywhere else in the world. These children were told that they could never change and that no one cared what became of them. They were denied access to education and rehabilitation programs and left without help or hope”. I myself know what it’s like to be in a situation like that, and i also know that people are capable of changing even children when they are young and still growing.
Butler, Frank (2010) ‘Extinguishing All Hope: Life-Without-Parole for Juveniles’, Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 49: 4, 273-292
There are millions of adults in federal prison, but The United States is the only country in the world that condemns children to die in prison (Pequeneza, 2014). It’s sad to think about children being sentenced to life in prison, and frankly it is a disturbing and a scary fact to face. However, in recent years the U.S Supreme Court has made it illegal to charge juveniles with life sentencing for anything less than murder (Pequeneza, 2014). This new law gives children a second chance at life when they are finally released from prison. Many children are forced to be in a household that is not suitable for a developing child. Children are mistreated, neglected, abused, and other factors. These unfit situations that children are in make them more likely to become violent, and maybe end up in juvenile
Age is a factor in why Juveniles should not be sentenced to life in prison. As Paul Thompson states in his article Startling Finds on Teenage Brains from the Sacramento Bee, published on May 25, 2001 “ ...These frontal lobes,which inhibit our violent passions, rash action and regulate our emotions are vastly immature throughout the teenage years.” he also says that “The loss[of brain tissue] was like a wildfire, and you see it in every teenager.”. This loss of brain tissue plays a role in the erratic behavior of teens, they cannot properly assess their emotions and thoughts. During this period of brain tissue loss teens are unpredictable, adults do not know what their teen’s next move will be, teens themselves do not even know what their next move will be. As we grow our brains develop, therefore teen brains are not fully developed, so they cannot be held to the same standards as adults.
Having to grow up in a prison, especially one where they do not care about your feelings, really impacts him cognitively. I think juveniles should not be trialed as adults because there is harsher punishment. According to PBS, "Most leniently parents who kill their children but most harshly child in who kill their parents". During adolescent development decision making is weak, which comes from the brain being so vulnerable. I think in the special case of juveniles they are not harden criminals. In the cases of Jacob Ind and Nathan Ybanez I feel as if the teenagers had a build up of bottled emotions, and couldn't handle it anymore. With the brain being so vulnerable and decision making being so weak I think the teens snapped. After years of abuse and sadness I think the teens thought as if there was no other way out. Either the parents die or they do. Instead of being trialed as adults and spending life in prison, I think adolescents who commit crime should have an alternative that will not negatively impact their brain development. I think the problem derives from the adolescents seeking the wrong coping mechanism. If the adolescents could experience help from adults and professional rather than channeling it through violence and drugs, less crime from adolescents would
Although prisons have a few positive aspects such as keeping felons off the streets and being less final than the death penalty, they have many negative aspects as well such as tearing families apart, causing severe psychological harm to the children of inmates, costing 47,102 dollars a year in California alone (California Judicial website), and causing many problems for the inmates in the long run. Fundamentally the use of incarceration is intended to reform and rehabilitate offenders of society’s laws; however, America’s prison system usually makes matters much worse for the offender, his or her family, and society as a whole. The illustrations below show that there is a severe need for reform in the penal system.
Three quarters of all these criminals keep getting out and committing even more crimes. This cycle repeats itself over and over. You might ask yourself where the justice is for these victims. For some of them even death will not erase the pain and suffering they have been exposed to. I sincerely believe that some crimes are not punished enough. For instance, in the case of pedophiles, how is a lengthy prison sentence a just punishment? These monsters have stolen the innocence away from these kids. No matter how much counseling and love they receive, nothing will erase the horror of what they have endured. The pedophile is not suffering in the least sitting in prison. They are usually segregated from the rest of the prison population due to the fact that even the most hardened criminals hate pedophiles. (This in itself speaks volumes.) These monsters spend their time reading, listening to music, exercising, watching TV, getting and education. They get medical care, meals and clothing. All courtesy of the taxpayer. All the while the victim is living with the memory of the horror of what they have experienced. This kind of crime is one I believe should be a death penalty
There are many people who are critical of the US‘s prison sysetm; the idea of locking up those who commit crimes against a society simply to keep them from doing harm. Many say that more rehabilatation is necessary to improve these individuals and, therefore, society as a whole. What are some ways of doing this? Do you agree/disagree with this view and why? Is the prison system currently in place the best option for society? 2 pages, double spaced, 12pt. font.
Over the centuries one of the most common forms of punishment is imprisonment. As times past by the prison has taken on various shapes and forms. The quality and most conditions of prisons have changed in order to provide better living conditions for the inmates, but the main purpose of the prison has never changed, the online article Welcome to Stop the Crime states that “ a prison have four major purposes, these include retribution, incapacitation, deterrence and rehabilitation” (stoptheaca.org). This shows that the prison is there to ensure that criminals pay back society for the crimes they have committed; it also serves as an area to keep criminals from hurting innocent civilians and it is also there to transform prisoners to law abiding citizens. The prison life is a common topic discussed between boys of all ages, and it is very common to hear past prisoners convincing them that the prison life isn’t hard at all and that it’s very simple. Although some prisoners try to make the prison life sound fun and carefree when it’s compared to the life of a free individual it can be clearly seen that the prison life is much harder.
This shows how instead of having kids get rehabilitated in an a jail it is actually harming them. In adult prisons, “they are also kids that are in for minor crimes. They should not be in adult prison but instead in juvenile facilities where they can be rehabilitated”(Bechtold). This might be linked to the color of skin of a kid because judges think they are dangerous. “Out of all the juveniles, 32.1 percent of them in adult prisons reported being attacked with a weapon while being incarcerated. This could led to many juvenile deaths”(Bechtold). This fact is important because instead of being rehabilitated they are fighting for their lives. They come out thinking everyone is out to hurt them because of what they have endured during the time the have been in prison.Lisa Poliak, author of Teen Crime Adult Time Each Year, Thousands of Juvenile Offenders are Sent to Prison. Does the Practise Discourage Criminal Behavior- Or is it Cruel and Unusual Punishment?,did a case of a kid named Jason
Is it fair to give juveniles life sentences? On June 25 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles who committed murder could not be sentenced to life in prison because it violates the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Justice Elena Kagan, writing for the majority, stated that “Mandatory life without parole for a juvenile precludes consideration of his chronological age and its hallmark features- among them, immaturity, impetuosity, and failure to appreciate the risks and consequences. It prevents taking into account the family and home environment that surrounds him and from which he cannot usually extricate himself no matter how brutal or dysfunctional.” Juveniles should not be sentenced to life in prison or adult jail until legal age. Due to the facts that many are still young and aren’t over eighteen.
Steinberg, L., & Scott, E., (2010). Should Juvenile Offenders Ever be sentenced to Life without the Possibility of Parole? Human Development, 54, p. 53-54. DOI: 10.1159/000288207
...in jail for a long period of time may lead them into becoming better criminals. Anna Aizer of Brown University and Joseph Doyle of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology researched and compared lives of imprisoned teenagers and non-imprisoned, and how it affected them in life. In their research they found out that young offenders who were incarcerated were sixty-seven percent more likely to be in jail by the age of 25 than similar young offenders who didn't go to prison. They also found that young convicts were most likely to commit homicide (Beauchamp 6-12). Although, for many teenagers who go to jail help them open their eyes and realize that they have to become a better person. That if they continue to commit bad actions, they're going to get punished. Children and teenagers realize that they can tried as adults and they think before going on their instinct.
Throughout the years kids have been committing terrible crimes that are just as bad as the crimes an adult would commit, sometimes even worse. These children have received life sentences with the possibility of no parole along with counseling and even rehabilitation. Many believe that putting an adolescent in jail with a life sentences is a cruel and unfair punishment. In the past couple of years the law has changed to those under 18 will not be sent to jail, only to a rehabilitation center or juvenile hall for no more than a year. People believe that is much more suitable for a teenager rather than keeping them locked away in jail for more than what they’ve lived.