Adultification Of Childhood

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Recommended: Social and cultural concepts of childhood

Childhood is a socially constructed concept. It is constructed and framed differently according to various political traditions, cultural and economic contexts as well as social norms (Goldson 2013). Every child experiences childhood differently according to variations in class, ethnicity, gender and disability (Goldson 2013). It is not a biologically fixed concept but has a changing image (Goldson 2013). Childhood also experiences a deserving and undeserving schism where the child is perceived as innocent and vulnerable and on the other hand as impulsive and in need of adult control and punishment (Goldson 2013). The different constructions of childhood according to different cultural, social and economic contexts, form different views about …show more content…

As a result, the children are punished as adults, tried in adult style of justice and the concept of doli incapax fades away (Crofts 2016). This essay will argue the impact of adultification of in the criminal justice system on the punishment of young people by outlining punishments such as adult jails, sentence without parole and lowering of age limits due to adultification.

Adult courts have same sentencing guidelines for juveniles tried as adults (Legislative Victories 2011), therefore, many juvenile offenders are incarcerated to adult jails for minor crimes (Sarah 2008; Legislative Victories 2011). The effects of the blurring line between the juvenile and criminal justice system are visible through treatment of juveniles by the system contributing towards the waves of adultification (Bolin 2014). By 1980 and 1990s, due to the public fear about violent juvenile crime, there was an increase in the number of juveniles prosecuted as adults in the name of public safety (Kooy 2008). In 1999, 5600 youth were convicted to state adult prisons (Redding 2006). In the United States, 250000 juveniles are prosecuted as adults each …show more content…

Doli incapax is the rebuttable presumption that a child of 10 to 14 years of age is incapable of guilt, for their safeguard (Crofts 2016). Minimum age of criminal responsibility in Australia is 10 years (Crofts 2016). From 2012 to 2013, more than 60 % of 10 year olds and 11 year olds were in detention (Crofts 2016). However, it is found that countries that raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility, there are no negative consequences for crime rates (Goldson 2013). Michael Howard as the conservative home secretary in 1993, spoke about the child offenders a little while after the murder of James Bulger, referring to them as adults in everything except age, which shall not be allowed as an immunity to them, even though UK has ratified the minimum age treaty (Goldson 2013). This is the violation of Article 4 (1) of United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice, stating that the legal systems that recognise the minimum age for criminal responsibility, shall not set the minimum age too low (Goldson 2013). There is again a socially constructed childhood concept visible where on one hand, youth is protected from voting, military service and marriage till the age of 18 with the ideal that they are not able to make sound judgement (A Campaign for Youth Justice Report 2007). However, on the other

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