Juvenile Justice Case Analysis

The Line Between Juvenile Delinquents and Adult Penalties Cristian Fernandez, a 13 year old boy from Florida, was charged with first degree felonies after beating his 2-year-old brother to death and sexually assaulting another 5-year-old brother. With this information of these tragic events, society might agree that such a violent act is deserving of adult time in prison. Even deeper into the story is Fernandez’s background that involves the abandonment of his mother who gave birth to him at only 12 years old, the sexual assault by his older cousin, and the beatings by his stepfather. Now, with this background information, is it still clear whether or not the young boy should face life in prison or receive psychological treatment as a juvenile? With such a dreadful crime, the mental state of Fernandez should be taken into consideration. Why would such a young boy commit this horrendous act of

It takes into consideration that adolescent development and environmental influence relates to decision making which can play a huge role in understanding juvenile delinquency. This allows readers to look beyond facts and to dig deeper into why a 13-year-old boy would harm his two younger brothers in such a dreadful and impulsive manner. Was this act driven by his personal background and experiences? Did his environment affect his psychological development and play a part in his decision making? It is questions as such that allows one’s mind to become open to counterargument and to consider different aspects and factors of the situation. A connection can be made between both books in support that a juvenile criminal act goes far beyond the act and psychological, environment, and controversial factors can oppose adult penalties for juvenile offenders regardless of the