Adult Criminal Justice System: Where Is Their Opportunity?

In Contrast to Bryan Stevenson’s “Just Mercy” stories of juveniles being tried as adults, Jason Zeidenberg in the article “The Risks Juveniles Face When They Are Incarcerated with Adults” strongly emphasizes the dangers and consequences that juveniles face when they are tried as adults. Zeidenberg states the consequences of juveniles being raped, assaulted, committing suicide and the effects of being victimized. Children who are housed in the same facility as Adults is not a good idea nor a good mix, according to Zeidenberg a “15-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in Ohio by a deputy after she was placed in an adult jail for a minor in

Kids are just kids. Kids need to learn from their mistakes and move on after learning from that experience. They act on impulse and regret many choices made later in life. This is why they need a second chance to make up for their actions and learn from minor consequences. Kids need an opportunity to show that they have matured instead of having them labeled them for an act done without thinking and having to live with that label for the rest of their life. For that reason, children should not have to grow up in jail. Furthermore, I agree with the Supreme Court justices who agreed to abolish mandatory life in prison for juveniles who commit murder.

Too many minors have committed violent crimes and haven’t gotten the consequences they deserved. In Time magazine article, “Children without Pity” written by Nancy Traver, it shows how the crime rates are going up and many minors aren’t getting the consequence they need. Given the violence of their actions, minors who commit violent crimes should be tried as adults.

There are times juveniles should not be convicted as adults because sometimes the “crimes” may not harsh enough to be charged as an adult. For example, if a 8 year old saw a gun in their mother's purse and thought it was a toy and grabbed it and began to shoot who would be at fault ? Plus children in adult prisons are 10 times more likely to be taken advantage of in their time. Research shows that children prosecuted in the adult criminal justice system are more likely to reoffend than those held in the juvenile justice

The film “Juvies” really made me think about how the criminal justice system treats young children. Before watching the film, I was under the impression that children were treated fairly and with care when they commit a crime. After all, they are just kids. However, to my surprise, this was not the case. Many children have been cheated by the law because they are put through the adult system and are not given a fair trial. Meanwhile, these children are expected to make the rational decisions that an adult would make. There is biological evidence that kids do not have the ability to control impulsive behavior because their brains are underdeveloped. Thus, I believe this system is extremely unfair because children are not protected in adult prisons, which makes it very difficult for them to succeed once they are released back into the free world.

How would you feel if the police arrested kids all over our country to jail for just crossing the street the wrong way or pushing another kid on the playground? That is what is happening to many underage juvenile all over the United States; they are being sent to adult prisons for crimes that do not deserve such severe punishments. Why they were tried as adults is an enigma and we will explain why this is a terrible injustice. In 1899 children in between the ages of 7-14 were believed they were incapable of committing criminal intent. The court system back then believed that if enough evidence could be gathered to convince a jury, the underage person would be convicted and sent to an adult prison. Currently in our state, persons as

Children have a long standing history in crimes. Some are cold blooded killers and some have real mental issues we have no idea they have. Children have been in crime since the 1900s. Currently in the united states there are thousands of children coming into jail everyday for murder, homicide, or any other particular crime. One source states that, “Currently an estimated 250,000 youth are tried, sentenced, or incarcerated as adults every year across the

Youth crime is a tough issue, with many differing opinions. Punishment and rehabilitation, one, the other, or both, all topics of debate within society. If you were to discuss the issues with the parents of a victim, it would be understandable that their opinions would differ greatly than those of the parents of the offender. Many people have formed an opinion without an in depth look at the act. Others simply do not care.

Did you know, that in the United States alone, Over 200,000 children are charged and imprisoned every year as adults? Early in the 20th century, most states established juvenile courts to rehabilitate and not just punish youthful offenders. The system was designed for children to have a second chance at their lives. “A separate juvenile-justice system, which sought to rehabilitate and not just punish children, was part of a movement by progressives to create a legally defined adolescence through the passage of child-labor and compulsory education laws and the creation of parks and open spaces.”(How to reduce crime Pg 1) Although the view on juveniles committing brutal crimes is nearly inconceivable, it is not a solution to give juveniles adult consequences because the effects of the adult system on juveniles are not effective.

The topic of juveniles justice and whether or not to charge teen criminals in adult courts and sentence them to audit prisons is one issue that is always up for debate. Media plays a huge role on juvenile crimes they show the worst about it and not any positive which makes many people feel that there's a huge problem going on with the juvenile justice. Minors should not be charged as adults or be sentenced to adult prisons without knowing the background or the circumstances.Not every kid that commits a crime will grow up to be a criminal, brain studies show that teens are unable to make decisions efficiently which causes them to make the wrong decision, children from juvenile court to adult court actually increases crime, kids take risks in adult prisons and bring justice for extreme crimes.

In addition, think about how they will be affected if tried as an adult and convicted. Let us remember, the United States has the Juvenile Justice System, which is solely for juvenile delinquents. This is supposed to protect them from receiving longer sentences, and harsh punishments, which is the opposite of adult courts. Also, the Juvenile Justice System is supposed to help rehabilitate the juvenile. Luckily, for juveniles, the “court had recognized that even homicide does not warrant a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole if the offender is less than 18 years old at the time of the crime” (Holt p.1395). However, in “Nevada, Mississippi, and Utah, lawmakers now leave it up to the juvenile courts to decide whether to transfer a juvenile to adult court” (Brown p. 21). Unfortunately, juveniles sent to adult prison suffer physically, mentally, and emotionally. With that

Imagine sitting in a courtroom, hoping the the judge will not give a harsh sentence. Unfortunately, that’s the case for many juveniles, some as young as 13! A juvenile is subject to a more severe sentence with the limited sentencing available. It is estimated that 250,000 youth are prosecuted as adults, each year. This number should change, as juveniles are not adults, both mentally and physically. Juveniles need an environment surrounded with guiding adults, education and the resources to help them. A juvenile is not an adult, and should not be tried as one.

Children around the world or youth offenders(as the judicial system calls them), are being put into adult prison and being charged as adults too. At the ages these children are being put into jail, their brains have not been fully developed and the way they think is completely different from a fully developed person and brain. To charge them as adults is considered unconstitutional. These kids lives are being taken away from them and some of them aren't even given a chance at parole. When the crimes were committed most of the children weren’t thinking or they didn’t take into consideration the consequence for their actions. Throwing them in jail isn't helping them its just corrupting their minds even more. No one ever takes into consideration the problems these people can have outside of the judicial system as well. There

We live in a world where no matter we go we have constant access to media and what’s happening next door to us or even across the world. We hear constantly about what crime has been done or even when people have their court date. But, the debate about where teens and kids should go after they’ve committed a crime has many differences in opinions. Kids really are still kids even if they have committed an adult crime. Kids shouldn’t have to deal with violent adults, and have to deal with all the risks they have for being put in an adult prison. Being in prison with adults kids are at increased risks of being sexually assaulted, suicide, and even mental damage Yes, the kids have committed a crime, but they also are only kids and sending them to prison does a lot of damage to them. For that reason, I feel it is wrong for kids to be sent to prison.

"It has become politically expedient to call for the imprisonment of children alongside adults. But this is no way to reduce crime,"says Ira Glassner, the executive director for the ACLU. "After the horrors these kids experience in prison, they are likely to commit far more serious crimes upon release than they did before they went in." (About.com) They need to put these kids in some kind of crime prevention program than a correctional facility. Studies have been shown to reduce crime substantially when compared to imprisonment after crimes have been committed.