Juvenile Courts and Juvenile Delinquency

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Recommended: Societal problems arising from juvenile delinquency

How would you feel if the police arrested kids all over our country to jail for just crossing the street the wrong way or pushing another kid on the playground? That is what is happening to many underage juvenile all over the United States; they are being sent to adult prisons for crimes that do not deserve such severe punishments. Why they were tried as adults is an enigma and we will explain why this is a terrible injustice. In 1899 children in between the ages of 7-14 were believed they were incapable of committing criminal intent. The court system back then believed that if enough evidence could be gathered to convince a jury, the underage person would be convicted and sent to an adult prison. Currently in our state, persons as young as 14 can be tried as an adult, due to the effects of Emily’s law. Emily’s law was created when her parents left her with a babysitting company, and the owner’s 13 year old son raped the 2 year old and threw her against the wall. She then died on impact.Throughout the harshness of sentencing juveniles, a court specified for juvenile delinquents was created in 1899. Trying juveniles as adults is too severe, because the charges set against them are unjust. Instead, these children could be rehabilitated and become productive citizens. Sending them to prison will make them vulnerable to deadly danger, and destroy any chance of changing, flourishing and returning to society.

Every year, juvenile’s courts in the United States handle an estimated 1.7 million cases in which the youth was charged with a delinquency offense. In 2007 juvenile courts handled about 4,600 delinquency cases per day. The trends in juvenile court cases paralleled the decline in arrests of persons under 18. In 1996 more than...

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... of improving themselves rather than rotting in jail for years to come. All in all we believe that rehabilitation is by far the best choice for a child who wronged in past but wants forgiveness and a fresh start.

In conclusion incarcerating mere children in prison makes them vulnerable to deadly things such as the staff, inmates, and mental/physical weakness. Burton, just released from prison says “a lot of stuff in prison hardens you as a human being and you’ve got to harden yourself to survive or there won’t be a chance for you at all”. Don’t you think for one second that you will get away with trouble just because of your age. These kids weren’t given mercy because of their age and they have their lives ahead of them. Mess around with the law now, because if you can’t do the time don’t do the crime.

Works Cited

bing,google scholar,wikipedia,solitary watch.

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