When Kids Get Life Essay

Americans today tend to believe that the juvenile crime rate in the United States has risen in the last decade. June 25, 2012 was an important date for this chaotic standard, because this was the day the Supreme Court declared juveniles who had been tried as adults for murder could not be sentenced to life in prison without parole. With this decision the U.S court system gave individuals who are serving life in prison, as teenagers, a chance for a better life. Adolescents should not be sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in a prison cell because of the imprudent decisions they made as minors.

If a ruthless fifteen-year old killed your mother, how would you want the inhumane murderer to be punished? How would you feel if you never got to see your mother alive again while her killer served only a short sentence before being released from jail? Clearly, one would want the worst violent punishment for that murderer to experience. We have to have a system where juveniles, even young juveniles, who commit extremely sophisticated violent criminalities, are not beyond the reach of the law. Truly, children are children. They are reckless and naïve when it comes to their actions, however if one commits a crime, moreover a violent crime, must be punished impartially according to what he/she deserves regardless of the age. Children who commit violent crimes should be held accountable for their actions and tried as adults.

Murder is always a devastating sight, juveniles who commit homicides is another story. Sentencing a juvenile to life without parole isn’t the best punishment for a child that is developing in life. Juveniles are full of built up steam and emotions, they aren't comprehensive with the actions they take.

America is again divided by something that we need a solution for right away. Today, it is between the people who believe mandatory life in prison for juveniles should be abolished and those who believe the opposite. If a teenager committed murder and any other heinous act they indeed should be sentenced to life. We cannot let people get away with that. They took the life of another, so they should see how it feels. There are many reasons why you should believe juvenile life sentences should still be legal such as the effect it has on the victims families, the accountability these teens should have, and just how ludicrous any other counter argument can be.

I believe that juveniles do deserve to be tried as adults and not be given the leeway of being called just a “teenager”. As a young adult i just turned 18 not too long ago and i can tell you from my own experience and the experience of my close friends that teenagers or anyone from the age of 12-18 does know right from wrong and fully acts upon their own decision and conscious. It would be very disrespectful to anger the victims on letting out the killer. I know that if my family member was murdered by a teenager and 10 years later they let them out, i would be beyond angered with their decision to even give them a second chance.

It is not right that today children can be tried as adults for the murder. Juveniles under the age of 18, who committed a murder should not be tried as adults simply because they are not. Minors are not fully physically and mentally developed, furthermore, very often the result of such causes is fault of parent who raised them and environment where they had to grow up. Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines juvenile as physiologically immature or undeveloped. It is ridiculous to think that we can punish children who are not eighteen years old as adults. Just imagine putting 12 years old child in the jail with thirty-year-old man. We cannot talk about a minor as a formed personality.

Regardless of age, a killer is a killer. A killer can be the daily customer you have at your job or the child you’re babysitting. “The Supreme Court justices would be wise as well as compassionate to strike a balance: Make juvenile offenders responsible for their actions but don't completely rob them of hope. And this should apply not only to the inmates who were 14 at the time of their crimes but to the remaining 2,497 who were 15 to 18 years old,” (Ellison 19). Kids make mistakes all the time, that doesn’t mean we should take their life away from them. With overlooking the listed factors in court when sentencing a juvenile, this will improve the number of children in prisons. Not all of these children partake in the act because of evil, but merely because of

Life sentences are given to criminals who are utterly aware of their actions. Juveniles who commit murder or any other crime are not fully conscious of the actions they have committed. The abolishment of life in prison for juveniles who commit murder should be considered. Adult criminals are sentenced to life in prison because they’re completely developed and self aware of their actions. Juveniles have not fully reached their peek of self awareness which makes them prone to impulsive decisions. Many of these juveniles who are placed in detention centers due to crime have mental disorders, brain development issues, and broken families. Juveniles should not be sentenced to life

Guilty! As the gavel hits the sound block, everyone is amazed at the verdict. This teenage boy is sentenced to a life in prison without parole. As you read this in newspapers, magazines, and even online, what goes through your head? You may be thinking, “Why is this teen being tried as adult, he is just a kid.” While he is “just a kid”, and this is a widely held opinion but it is not mine. Should minors who commit violent crimes be tried as adults? Absolutely. Just because minors are young they do have the ability to know what is right from wrong. Since these minors have committed the crime, they need to be held accountable. If a minor has acted as an adult, they need to be treated like adults. Lastly, minors need to know

The United States stands alone as the only nation that sentences juveniles to life without parole for the crimes they’ve committed. Some of these crimes include shootings, murder, and bomb threats but what causes these children to commit such heinous crimes. Although we have juvenile facilities, charged juveniles who commit these crimes are placed in adult prisons. In agreement with the majority of Supreme Court justices, we should abolish mandatory life in prison for juveniles who commit crimes due to the fact that these juveniles have brain development that is vastly different from an average adult, that their backgrounds should be accounted for when charging them, and that it’s morally wrong to put them in adult prisons.

1.1 – Explain the factors that need to be taken into account when assessing development

According to the article “Teen Violence Statistics” on average 4,828 young people, ages 10-24, were victims of homicide an average of 13 each day. Statistics show 784 juveniles were arrested for murder. So, should those victims be left without a proper punishment? On June 25, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles who committed murder could not be sentenced to life in prison due to the fact it violated the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and usual punishment, however what they did was cruel and unusual. I believe that a mandatory sentence of life without parole for juveniles who committed first or second degree murder is a justifiable sentence and should not be abolished. Their acts should be punished the same way an adult would be. However these young criminals who committed first and second degree murder must be given the chance to persuade a judge to permit his or her release into society. If these so what called “children” want to commit crimes any adult would, they must face the consequences. The brain development is an overrated excuse for these criminals.

Should teens get punished for committing murder, even though they are not adults yet? Teens should get a sentence with life in prison, but sometimes that is not the case because some teens are ignorant and too young to get that charge. Therefore, they only get a sentence for some years. Though teenagers do get true justice for committing murder.

I agree with the supreme court ruling that children should not have life sentences in prison. Placing juveniles in prison can be harmful to their mental health. The supreme court prohibiting unusual punishment will save young adults and children from being hurt in the future. My position on this situation is that children should be tried for their crimes in a reasonable manner and not the exact same way as an adult would be tried for committing the exact same crimes.

  The punishment of juvenile criminals, specifically those between the ages of 13 and 18, in the event that they commit crimes of murder, is not severe enough. Minors between these critical ages in the teenage life who commit crimes of murder should be prosecuted as adults in all situations and locations.