Juvenile Offenders Serving an Adult Sentence

Jordan Brown is a juvenile offender who was charged with the death of his Father’s pregnant fiancée and her unborn son. In Pennsylvania, 2009, Brown was taken to court and found guilty. Because he was under 12 years old, he was sent to a juvenile facility rather than an adult prison. Due to Roper (a law that prevents juveniles from being sentenced to the death penalty), his life was spared. The question as to how to sentence juvenile offenders still has many different answers. Some people say that juveniles should get life in prison, while others say it is too harsh of a punishment. There are also split answers as to whether they should be sent to an adult prison or not. Juveniles should be tried as adults, but depending on the severity of the case, should not be punished the same.

When sentencing juveniles age is a fixed factor that determines what the punishment is. I surveyed students from the age of 14-17 and asked “Should age be considered when convicting a juvenile offender?” 10% of the students said no, while 90% of the students said yes. Young children do not have a say in whom or what they allow into their lives and are not always taught right from wrong. The younger the child, the more irresponsible he is. Age is critical in determining a sentence for a juvenile. Cases involving teens, for example, are some of the hardest. While they are presumed to be mature and to understand right from wrong, teens are also subject to peer pressure and are still immature. Juvenile offenders from the ages of 12-17 are most likely to be sent to adult prisons. In Pennsylvania, 1989, Cameron Kocher shot and killed a seven year old girl because she beat him in a video game; at the time, he was nine. According to David J. Krajicek, Koch...

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...ng the crime. Simmons is a perfect example of an immature and reckless juvenile. He willingly devised a plan to steal and murder. His actions were enough to earn him the death penalty. This is where the debate comes in, should the death penalty age limit be lowered. In the article “Juvenile Offenders Should Not Be Eligible for the Death Penalty” Steven A. Drizin and Stephen K. Harper argue that juveniles should not receive the death penalty because they are more vulnerable than adults. Drizin and Harper argue that a major difference between adults and juveniles is that juveniles cannot choose their environment. Both Harper and Drizin feel that more needs to be done to help young juvenile offenders rather than punish them. If a juvenile age 17 murders someone, and he has no mental disabilities or further problems, then he should be eligible for the death penalty.