Juvenile Punishment: Should Adolescents Be Tried As Adults?

688 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Criminal behaviour biological and psychological

Cota 1

Most Americans today believe that teenagers are more apathetic because of the crimes they commit. According to an adolescent brain development expert, Laurence Steinberg, "The adolescent brain is still developing [and] the risks taken and mistakes made by young offenders may be more outside of their control than we think” (Steinberg 1). With that said, should teenagers be responsible for their actions and be tried as adults? Absolutely, because as Kiley Hamlin stated, "The researchers have found that babies as young as six months old already make moral judgements, and they think we may be born with a moral code hard-wired into our brains" (Hamlin 1). Therefore, teenagers should be held accountable for their actions and tried as adults because these violent crimes are premeditated, against the law, and if a teenager has the mental capability to plan a violent crime, they should have the mental capability to acknowledge the consequences of the crime.
Premeditation is something that is thought and/or planned out ahead of time. Most violent crimes that are still happening today are no accident, which is why defendants should be held accountable therefore tried as adults for their mistakes.In terms of premeditation, a violent crime must have the specific intent to hurt another individual. I stand by my perspective, if these teenagers could be so cruel and commit such a violent crime, they should be tried as an adult. If a defendant commits a violent crime and does not get taken serious and/or tried as an adult, others are going to
Cota 2 believe that it is going to be “brushed off” if they follow the defendants footsteps. A personal experience of a juvenile being tried as adult was a friend of mine, he was convicted of mur...

... middle of paper ...

...enagers are old enough to know a violent crime is illegal.
In conclusion, it is undeniable that trying these juveniles in our adult courts would benefit our society. By keeping these young adults off the streets, it creates a safe environment for the people. When teens are being tried as adults, we do not only think of their families, we think about the safety of our community. Even if a teenager did not know it was wrong, it does not mean that it was right. All in all, there should be no pity for these teenagers who commit such gruesome, violent crimes.

Works Cited

Kaiser, Emily. "6 Facts about Crime and the Adolescent Brain." MPRnews. N.p., 15 May 2013. Web.
Edwards, Lin. "Psychologists Say Babies Know Right from Wrong Even at Six Months."Phys.org. N.p., 10 May 2010. Web.
H, Jeffrey. "Should Teens Be Tried As Adults." Teen Ink. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.

Show More
Related

  • Should Juvenile Offenders Be Tried As Adults?

    551 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to criminal.findlaw.com the definition of the juvenile justice system is the area of criminal law applicable to people not old enough to be held responsible for criminal acts. Juveniles are people 17 and under. Juveniles should be convicted as adults for violent crimes like assault or murder etcetera because if they can commit an adult crime they should get an adult punishment. Also if juveniles don’t get punished for their crimes then they’ll keep doing it because they got off unpunished the first time.

    Read More

  • Juvenile Justice: Should Teenagers Be Sentences As Adults

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many people assume that teenagers should not be sentenced as adults, because their brain is not fully developed. On the other hand, people believe if teenagers commit crimes then they need to have consequences for their actions. According to the Campaign for Youth Justices, about 250,000 teenagers are tried, sentenced, or incarcerated as adults every year in the United States (Campaign for Youth Justices 3). Therefore, charging teenagers as adults is fair, because they are human beings just like adults.

    Read More

  • Little Justice in The Juvenile Justice System

    669 Words  | 2 Pages

    Juveniles are more than just kids. They are capable of doing anything an adult is capable of doing. One has probably heard the saying, “If you want to be treated like an adult, then act like an adult.” If they’re going to do crimes that “only” adults are capable of doing, then they should treated like an adult and be tried and sentenced like one. Imagine being close to a murder victim, wouldn’t you want them to feel hell? “How would you feel if you never got to see your child alive again while their killer served only a short sentence before being released from jail?” (hchs1259). This quote hits hard. One can only imagine being in the position of a parent whose child was murdered.

    Read More

  • On Punishment And Teen Killers By Jenkins

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the article On Punishment and Teen Killers by Jenkins, sadly brings to our attention that kids are sometimes responsible for unimaginable crimes, in 1990 in a suburban Chicago neighborhood a teenager murdered a women, her husband, and her unborn child, as she begged for the life of her unborn child he shot her and later reported to a close friend that it was a “thrill kill”, that he just simply wanted to see what it felt like to shoot someone. A major recent issue being debated is whether or not we have the right to sentence Juveniles who commit heinous crimes to life in adult penitentiaries without parole. I strongly believe and agree with the law that states adolescents who commit these heinous crimes should be tried as adults and sentenced as adults, however I don’t believe they should be sentenced to life without parole. I chose this position because I believe that these young adults in no way should be excused for their actions and need to face the severe consequences of their actions. Although on the other hand I believe change is possible and that prison could be rehabilitating and that parole should be offered.

    Read More

  • Minors Being Tried As Adults

    2489 Words  | 5 Pages

    once the minor has committed a violent crime, they are no longer a kid. The minor had the ability to know right from wrong, but he still chose to commit the heinous crime anyway. Choosing to commit this violent crime means that the minor chose to act as an adult and must be held accountable. Once the minor has made the decision to act as an adult, they must be treated as an adult. If we do not teach minors that what they did has consequences they will never learn. Arguments can be made that minors should not be treated as adults and while these arguments do have merit, they are not my beliefs. In my opinion, minors who commit violent crimes need to be tried as adults. Justice does not discriminate when it comes to age. Right is right, and wrong is wrong and the wrong should be punished equally.

    Read More

  • Juveniles Tried as Adults

    1188 Words  | 3 Pages

    There has always been controversies as to whether juvenile criminals should be tried as adults or not. Over the years more and more teenagers have been involved in committing crimes. In some cases the juries have been too rough on the teens. Trying teens as adults can have a both positive and negative views. For example, teens that are detained can provide information about other crimes, can have an impact in social conditions, and serve as experience; however, it can be negative because teens are still not mature enough for that experience, they are exposed to adult criminals; and they will lose out on getting an education.

    Read More

  • Why A Kid Should Be Tried As Adults

    390 Words  | 1 Pages

    Whenever I think about a kid being tried as an adult, to me it depends on how bad the crime is and if the kid knows what they were doing. If the state as a law in the kid being tried as an adult already then you can’t do anything about it. If the kid committed murder then they should investigate the crime scene. They should investigate to find

    Read More

  • Kids Are Kids-Until They Commit Crimes By Marjie Lundstrom

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is expected that at a young age, children are taught the difference between what is right and what is wrong in all types of situations. The majority of Supreme Court Justices abolished mandatory life in prison for juveniles that commit heinous crimes, argued this with the consideration of age immaturity, impetuosity, and also negative family and home environments. These violent crimes can be defined as murder, rape, armed robbery, aggravated assault and the like depending on state law. With these monstrous acts in mind the supreme court justices argument could be proven otherwise through capability and accountability, the underdevelopment of the teenage brain and the severity of the crime. Juveniles commit heinous crimes just like adults

    Read More

  • Should Juveniles Be Tried As Adults?

    1226 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thousands of kid criminals in the United States have been tried as adults and sent to prison (Equal Justice Initiative). The debate whether these kids should be tried as adults is a huge controversy. The decision to try them or to not try them as an adult can change their whole life. “Fourteen states have no minimum age for trying children as adults” (Equal Justice Initiative). Some people feel that children are too immature to fully understand the severity of their actions. People who are for kids to be tried as adults feel that if they are old enough to commit the crime, then they are old enough to understand what they are doing. There are people who feel that children should only be tried as adults depending on the crime.

    Read More

  • Adult Prison Essay

    1551 Words  | 4 Pages

    That’s why we don’t permit 15-year-olds to drink, drive, vote or join the military” (qtd. in Billitteri). There is adolescent-development research according to Hambrick, J. and Ellem, J that has shown “children do not possess the same capacity as adults to think thru the consequences of their behaviors, control their responses or avoid peer pressure” (qtd. in Lyons). There are some very good points made in the argument against sentencing youth as adults but I still have a hard time agreeing with peer pressure or impulse control as a reason to be held in a juvenile center for less than a few years for murder. Ryan, L. uses the example of a report released by the Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention on “Juvenile Transfer Laws : An Effective Deterrent to Delinquency?” This report found that prosecuting youths as adults has little or no effect on juvenile crime.” She uses this information and backs it up with the report showing “youths prosecuted as adults are more likely to re-offend than youths handled in the juvenile justice system” (qtd. in Katel). This is definitely a new perspective, but I still stand with my first take on the subject. “We know young people can commit serious crimes, and the consequences are no less tragic” (qtd in

    Read More

  • The Consequences Of Juvenile Crimes

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Should Juveniles Be Responsible For Their Actions: Juveniless And The Death Penalty

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sentencing juveniles to capital punishment is unethical and cruel. It is too severe for juveniles without the full reasoning ability and limited brain development to be sentence to the death penalty. Horn (2009) writes, “Youths lack the sense of responsibility that society requires of adults. Their personalities are not yet fixed… Young people have to little experience to fully grasp the consequences of their actions.” (Horn, 2009). This shows that juveniles do not have the experience that adults have to be like adults. Also, Stevenson (2014) writes, “Contemporary neurological, psychological…evidence has established that children are impaired by immature judgement, an underdeveloped capacity for self-regulation and responsibility, vulnerability to negative influences and outside pressures, and a lack of control over their own impulses and their environment.” (Stevenson, 2014, pg. 267-268). Stevenson (2014) is basically saying that children are not matured as adults and the court needs to look at these facts before giving such punishments. Not only that, Stevenson (2014) says, “Young adolescents lack life experience and background knowledge to inform their choices; they struggle to generate options and to imagine consequences; and, perhaps for good reason, they lack the necessary self-confidence to make reasoned judgements and stick by them” (Stevenson, 2014, pg. 268-269). Children should be

    Read More

  • Should Juveniles be Tried as Adults

    1492 Words  | 3 Pages

    Juveniles deserve to be tried the same as adults when they commit certain crimes. The justice systems of America are becoming completely unjust and easy to break through. Juvenile courts haven’t always been known to the everyday person.

    Read More

  • Juveniles Should Be Tried as Adults

    2004 Words  | 5 Pages

    "Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time." -- David Grusin and Morgan Ames

    Read More

  • Parents Should Be Held Responsible For Their Children's Actions

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    Loeber, R and Farrington, D (2000). Young children who commit crime: Epidemiology, developmental origins, risk factors, early interventions, and policy implications. Development and Psychopathology, , pp 737-762.

    Read More

More about Juvenile Punishment: Should Adolescents Be Tried As Adults?

Open Document