Juvenile Crime and Punishment
The punishment of juvenile criminals, specifically those between the ages of 13 and 18, in the event that they commit crimes of murder, is not severe enough. Minors between these critical ages in the teenage life who commit crimes of murder should be prosecuted as adults in all situations and locations.
Teenagers in this age group do kill others, old and young alike. The rate at which juveniles were arrested for murder rose 177 percent between 1978 and 1993 (NBER.org). This shows that there is a need for stopping or at least slowing this trend in homicidal acts. Statistics clearly show that juviniles between the ages of 14 and 17 during the years of 1976 to 1994 are increasing in numbers in the amount of murders they commit.
The event in Littleton, Colorado is another example of the fact that teenagers are killing others. Carrying several weapons and setting off homemade bombs, teen-agers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and a teacher and wounded about 26 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999 at 11:21 a.m. (usatoday.com/182). These two young men had hatred in their hearts that no person will be able to explain. They knew what they were doing and wanted to do it well. They did what they were trying to do: kill others. If these two young men had not committed suicide, would they have been prosecuted as adults? We will never know because of the choice they made to take their own lives, but I certainly hope that they would have received the correction they deserved. In this situation, that due punishment would have been a trial as though they were adults who killed other human beings.
What happens when teenagers kill ...
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...with his/her threat.
The next step in solving this problem is to contact state governments and let them know that juveniles who commit crimes of murder should be tried as adults in all situations. Politicians should become aware that this is a problem in the society of America and shouldn't be reminded only by tragedies like that which happened in Littleton, Colorado. Call or write state governments and let them know that juveniles should be prosecuted as adults when committing crimes of murder.
Works Cited
1. http://www.nber.org/digest/feb98/w6191.html
2. http://www.usatoday.com/news/index/colo/colo182.htm
3. http://www.usatoday.com/news/index/colo/colo96.htm
4. http://www.tjpc.state.tx.us/reviews/98-1-09.htm (Texas Juvenile Probation Commission)
5. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/nathaniel991021.html#top
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The United States has been affected by a number of crimes committed by juveniles. The juvenile crime rate has been increasing in recent years. Everyday more juveniles commit crimes for various reasons. They act as adults when they are not officially adults. There is a discussion about how juveniles should be punished if they commit heinous crimes. While many argue that juveniles who commit serious crimes, such as murder, should be treated as adults, the fact is, juveniles under the age of eighteen, are not adults, and should not be treated as such.
The juvenile system was first established in the United States around 1899 when Illinois had their first court appearance including a juvenile. This then led to the Nation’s first juvenile system being created, which was for youth under the age of eighteen who have been convicted of crimes. Up until then, most youth were tried as an adult until the system was put into place. The system has different sections in which they youth is taken in such as: intake, adjudication, disposition, and post adjudicatory.
Should Juveniles be tried as Adults? Violent crimes are committed in the United States every day. A “juvenile is a person who has not attained his eighteenth birthday”. First Violent crimes are committed in the United States every day. Most crimes committed in the United States are from ages 13 to 17 years. Kids usually join gangs at ages 11and 15 and from 14-16 are the peak for gang involvement. Second if juveniles do the crime they should pay the crime. Third if a juvenile is old enough to do the crime they should pay for their time of the crime. It is not like they do not know what they are doing. Teens are smarter than people think to commit the crime.
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