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Adult Crime Adult Time Summary

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Linda J. Collier’s “Adult Crime, Adult Time” is quite an interesting article, one that brings attention to a problem I had not even thought about before reading it, but it also left quite a bit to be desired. She makes her beliefs quite clear in the second paragraph; the juvenile law system is out of date, and needs to be updated. Adolescent crimes have evolved in the last few decades. Rather than truancy, vandalism and petty theft, “juveniles now are more likely are more likely to be the perpetrators of serious and deadly crimes.” Collier is a lawyer in Pennsylvania who has experience working in the juvenile court. Currently she teaches courses on juvenile delinquency at Cabrini College. Knowing this makes her a much more credible voice on this subject, and convinces readers that she knows what she is talking about. Unfortunately, she chooses not to state this outright. She only mentions very briefly in the sixth paragraph that she has represented children. Her experience and knowledge could work to her advantage, allowing her more credibility …show more content…

We get one right off the bat, and we get several more as it goes on. All of these examples help to get readers on Collier’s side. She reminds readers of shocking crimes and situations in which the juvenile court is not one in which a perpetrator should be tried. They help to provoke shock and outrage within readers, along with a want for change. She uses several statistics within the fourth paragraph of her article. It is quite startling when you first read about the increase in violent crimes amongst children. She even backs those numbers up by telling us that they are told by the U.S. Department of Justice. I have to wonder, however, whether or not these statistics are actually as shocking as they look. She states that since 1984, crimes committed by juveniles have increased by 60%. She fails, however, to state whether or not those crimes were

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