Juvenile Leniency Essay

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When discussing juvenile offenders, there seems to be a distinct divide between how they should be treated. Some believe such young citizens should be treated with leniency in court while others completely disagree. This raises the question, “Should minors be treated with more leniency than their adult counterparts due to their youth?” Despite that the judicial system has flaws, treating juvenile offenders as adults in a court of law proves to be disadvantageous.
To start off, it is important to realize that the juvenile justice system was created to specialize in aiding the youth of today. To elaborate, “ The Federal Juvenile Delinquency Act defines juvenile delinquency (any act that is otherwise a crime, but is committed by someone under 18 years of age) and sets forth rules by which state laws must comply with regard to juvenile court procedures and punishments” (“Juvenile Justice”). This system was made realizing that juveniles are much different than adults …show more content…

While the juvenile justice system was created to focus on rehabilitation for teens , the adult court system focuses on punishment, resulting in typically stiffer sentences. It is a common belief that the threat of receiving a stiffer sentence will serve as a deterrent thus reducing crime. However, housing teens with adults in prison produces harmful effects such as physical and psychological abuse along with limited educational opportunities. Not only this, but research has shown that juveniles are also mentally undeveloped. Despite this evidence, there are still some perceived benefits to trying to a juvenile as an adult. Some examples of these are holding teens accountable when they commit a crime and making criminal court records accessible. Overall, it is vital to be aware of the needs of our youth and create ways to meet them, so they may become productive members of

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