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Whats is the Purpose of Juvenile Justice System?

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In today's society, personal responsibilities are held accountable only through explicit knowledge of an action's consequences. Without consequences, no individual can be held liable for his or her actions. As teenagers commit increasingly egregious crimes, the media shifts attention away from the actions of these teenagers and focuses on the seemingly severe punishments they are entitled to. Teenagers accused of violent crimes should be tried and sentenced justly, regardless of age, to ensure the law's equality before its citizens, to educate juveniles regarding the potential severity of their actions' consequences, and to prevent future acts of offense from occurring in society. One of the reasons why juveniles should be tried as adults is to ensure equality of the law before citizens. In order to promote this concept, Californian Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Conner once blindfolded herself before a civil case. When O' Conner was asked to explain her action, she replied that the law is blind before its citizens. According to Liptak, Justice Antonin Scalia explained that "the drop in juvenile death sentences was proof that juries could be trusted to sort and weight evidence about the defenders youth and culpabilities" (Liptak 42). When our founding father established this great nation, they had in mind the principle of equality before the law, regardless of social class, wealth, or even age. The same judiciary spirit should be applied equally to the juveniles. Like adults, juveniles are tried before a jury who weighs and evaluates the facts and evidence presented at the case to issued the appropriate verdict for the crimes committed. Thus, severe consequences such as the death penalty are rarely imposed and only assigned ... ... middle of paper ... ...he jury to believe that his continual existence would threaten society, thus the jury had to punishment him to prevent future offenses from happening. Although some would argue that juveniles undergo a series of brain development in which they lose brain cells that control their impulses, risk taking, and self-control (Thompson 46). However this lost during development does not excuse juvenile from their accountability, instead they should acquire special attention, proper nurturing and guidance during development in order to help them make better decisions. Thus teenagers accused of violent crimes should be tried and sentenced justly, regardless of age, to ensure the law's equality and educate juveniles regarding the potential severity of their actions' consequences. That is how we'll be able prevent future acts of violence and crimes from occurring in society.
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