Juveniles who commit crimes shouldn’t be tried as adults because they can get raped by their prison inmates, some juveniles are mentally ill and need to be treated, and they deserve a second chance. It is important that these people who commit crimes be tries as teenagers. One reason why young people who commit crimes shouldn’t be tries as adults is because juveniles could be mentally ill or have diseases that need to be treated. This is clear in the article entitled “Young and Forgotten”. In this article a 14 year old girl named Trina Garnett was angry because her neighbor had not allowed her two sons to play with Trina. Trina then climbed into their house through the kitchen window and set it aflame resulting, in the two boys dying and the house burning down. One example from this article that supports my decision is “the children were frequently homeless. Trina had set herself on fire when she was 5, spent two years in a state mental hospital, was diagnosed as Schizophrenic and was declared …show more content…
This is clear in the article entitled “Should Teens be tried as Adults?” The author states “teens sometimes do stupid things. They can make bad decisions. Their judgement is not the same as an adult. They may not be able to control their impulses as well as adults can. Some teens need more time to learn how their actions affect other people” (“Should Teens be Tried as Adults?”). I agree with this, some teens may not be able to control their anger issues and need to learn. They don’t think about the future problems they will have to face until the time comes. A second example that proves my argument is “experts say teenage brains are not fully grown. A teen may have the body of an adult but still have the mind of a child” (“Should Teens be Tried as Adults?”). Teens are too young to be in a prison environment since their brains are not fully
For example Paul Thompson an assistant professor of neurology who wrote “Startling finds on teenage brains” says that most teens are experiencing a wildfire of tissue loss in their brains, although it cannot be used to excuse their violent or homicidal behavior it can be used as evidence that teenagers are not yet adults so the legal system shouldn’t treat them as such”. Other people also believe it is wrong to convict a juvenile as an adult just because he/she made one “stupid mistake” for example in startling finds in the teenage brain, Brazill 14 years at the time took a gun to school and shot up the middle school teacher but they say Brazill made one “stupid mistake” and that him and many other teens are far from adulthood and that their minds set are not the same as an
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.
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.
How immature juveniles are not known. But what we do know that they are indeed immature, and cannot control their actions at times. Teens do not think at times as Marjie Lundstrom says in her article Kids Are Kids-Until They Commit Crimes from the Sacramento Bee, published March 1, 2001 “...Tate supposedl...
Many people say that the systems first priority should be to protect the public from the juvenile criminals that are a danger to others. Once the juveniles enter the system there is however, arguments on what should be done with them. Especially for those deemed too dangerous to be released back to their parents. Some want them locked away for as long as possible without rehabilitation, thinking that it will halt their criminal actions. One way to do this they argue would be to send them into an adult court. This has been a large way to reform the juvenile system, by lowering the age limits. I believe in certain cases this is the best method for unforgiving juveniles convicted of murder, as in the case of Ronald Duncan, who got away with a much lesser sentence due to his age. However another juvenile, Geri Vance, was old enough to be sent into the adult court, which caused him t...
Teenagers do not have what we call “adult” rights therefore they should not be sentenced as one. For example in the Article “Kids Are Kids - Until They Commit Crimes” by Marjie Lundstrom she said “It’s a glaring inconsistency that’s getting more glaring by the hour as children as
During the 1990’s there has been a case of a teen that killed them in Suburban Chicago. After Jennifer’s sister husband died the mother begged for the life of her unborn child as the teen shot her. The teen reported what he had done to his friend , who testified at his trial, about his “thrill kill” that he just wanted to ”see what it would feel like to shoot someone”. In another article called “10 Murders Committed By Minors” by Amanda tells you a crime that a girl commit named Melinda Loveless she was jealous of the friendship forming between 12-year-old Shanda Renee Sharer and her former girlfriend, Amanda Heavrin, so the 16-year-old decided to do something about it. Melinda and her friends went in a car to pick up Sharer from her house to “hang out”. Loveness was in the backseat of car under a blanket with a knife and hold her hostage with the knife to the throat and took her to a garbage dump where they threw Sharer to the ground and started to torture her by taking turns on cutting, stabbing with a dull knife and knocking her unconscious with a metal pipe. They started to laugh on what they to her did and pour gasoline on Sharer while she was still unconscious and burn her alive, so do you still think Juveniles shouldn’t be tried as adults when they commit violent
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.
Eighteen. A magical age. As one metamorphosises from a slight seventeen year old to the giddy heights of eighteen, what delights lie in store? Retribution. The right to serve a lengthy sentence if you have committed a crime. Surely, it is only right that someone facing an interminable prison sentence housed with violent criminals should at least be an adult. Adolescents do not have access to this right, primarily due to the fact that juveniles are unable to accurately distinguish between right and wrong. By law, when a child is tried in an adult court, if convicted, they must be sent to an adult penitentiary. So why it is that juveniles are still being tried as adults
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
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.
sentenced to age-appropriate punishments that allow them to learn from their mistakes and rehabilitate, rather than being subjected to the ultimate punishment of death. The evidence presented by Horn (2009) and Stevenson (2014) clearly shows that juveniles are not fully developed and lack the necessary experience and judgment to be held to the same standards as adults. Therefore, it is imperative that the justice system recognizes the unique circumstances of juvenile offenders and provides them with appropriate rehabilitation and support rather than resorting to cruel and unethical punishments such as the death penalty. 2008). The evidence clearly shows that children in adult prisons are at a high risk of being sexually assaulted and mistreated.
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.
When it comes to the situation in society whether the things we justify are right or wrong are debated immensely. Some are agreed upon consequently some will never have a final verdict. Over the years laws over juvenile sentencing have been questioned whether under-age criminals should be treated differently when it comes to being sentenced in a court of law over crimes committed. I affirm that juveniles under the confounds of the law should be held accountable in age-appropriate sentencing in order to advocate the beginning of a rehabilitation process. Even after some of the hardships most of these juveniles may have committed there should always be a path towards redemption.
Juvenile offenders should not be tried as adults because there are differences between a teenager and adult. A teenager is not mature as an adult. Some teenagers are capable to change their behavior and are capable to recognize their own mistakes. It is a huge mistake for juveniles offenders to be tried as adults and send them to adult court and prison . There are many factors why they should not be tried as adult.