Changes In Juvenile Crimes

Juveniles are still developing children that deserve to be rehabilitated if possible. To begin with, juveniles that are given a second chance are unlikely to continue committing violent crimes. Juvenile are unaware of how a severe of a crime they have committed. Their actions may label them as adults but the truth is kids are not adults. These juveniles see the consequences they

On June 6, 1996, a 6 year-old boy believed to have been the youngest person ever charged with attempted murder in the United States had the charges reduced to assault with intent to injure in Martinez, California. The boy accused of the brutal beating of a month-old infant during the burglary of a neighbor's apartment (Curtius A3-A23). The court considered him too young to help in his own defense, and a psychiatric evaluation ruled him unable to understand the consequences of his acts. Charles Patrick Ewing (1990) writes, "the stakes are high when a court decides whether a juvenile murder defendant will be tried as a juvenile or as and adult. Generally a youth tried in juvenile court faces a rather limited punishment if found guilty" (p. 151).

A fair comparison is, throwing a lamb into a tiger pit. Incarcerating people is punishment for wrong doings and a chance to redeem themselves. But in adult jails, children lose that chance. Physically violating minors has unimaginable impacts on such tender minds. Not to mention courts overlooking psychological stability, but this leads to unjust sentences. Ironically minors can be tried as adults, but can't be treated like them. A crime shouldn’t block a person’s path, but allow them to realize their mistake. Jailing juveniles steers them in a direction which is poisonous for

Approximately two million adolescents a year are arrested and out of that two million, 60,000 of them are incarcerated according to the American Journal of Public Health. The 60,000 incarcerated adolescents each year are being tried as adults in court because of the serious crimes they have committed. The crimes they have committed are anything from armed robbery to murder. Some juveniles might be first time offenders and others might be repeat offenders. Crimes have always been a major issue in the United States and can cause controversy in the criminal justice system. Charging a minor as an adult in criminal court varies from state to state based on each state’s jurisdiction. Some states consider anyone up to the age of 18 still a juvenile and would not be charged as an adult in criminal court, but other states may charge a juvenile as an adult at the age of 16 or 17. Jordan (2014) states, “Although states already had methods for transferring youth to the adult system, as a result of the growing fear of juvenile violence, most states implemented new laws to increase the number of youth entering the adult criminal system’ (Bernard & Kurlychek, 2010; Torbet et al., 1996)” (p. 315). While it sounds beneficial to incarcerate more adolescents in the adult criminal justice system to avoid juveniles from committing crimes in the future, that is not always the case. Incarcerating these juveniles can be life changing in a negative

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.

In the early 1990s media was portraying juvenile crime as running rampant. It was reported that children were killing old ladies or innocent bystanders. This called the public to question if treating juveniles with rehabilitation and protection like it has been historically done was really the best option. This lead to many states making it easier for prosecutors to file charges against

The juvenile justice system is a complex web of people and agencies that process about billions of funds on a yearly basis. To understand the system requires that you have some sort of baseline knowledge of the trends that have shaped the system’s ability to function and the roles played by the various components of the system. This policy paper provides information on changes in the juvenile justice system and analyzes why the increased prosecution sentences of juveniles in adult court is another failed “get tough “policy and does nothing to focus on the best interest for the juvenile. Before the modern era, it appeared that children who committed crimes received no type of preferential treatment. They were adjudicated, punished, and imprisoned

Juvenile Delinquency has increased throughout the years. In 2008 the United States police arrested about 2.11 million juveniles. Juvenile arrest rates had increased in 2005 and again in 2006. Data show increases in some offense categories but declines in most. Most changes being less than 10% in either direction. According to the data arson at 47% is one of the biggest crimes that juveniles commit. Following are robbery at 27%, burglary at 27%, and property crimes at 26%. Juveniles are creating more problems for parents, schools, and communities. In 2007 juvenile courts dealt with a large amount of juvenile delinquents. About 4,600 cases per day were being treated at the courts (Puzzanchera, Charles).

In today’s criminal justice system in the United States, there is a lot of dispute between what the qualifications are for juvenile and adult crimes. Some believe that the only difference is age. Others say it is the severity of the crime. It’s obvious that when adults commit crimes, whether they are a misdemeanor offense or a felony, they pay for it. The confliction comes when a juvenile commits a crime. What exactly determines if they are tried as an adult or a juvenile? Does it vary by state-to-state? Are there federal laws that govern that debate? There have been cases where children have been tried in a court of law as an adult. So what exactly is the clear cut reason why juveniles are tired sometimes as adults, and other times as juveniles?

As more minors are committing violent crimes, the question of whether they should be tried as adults has arisen. Children as young as 13 or 14 are committing violent crimes such as murder, rape, and armed robbery. Some of these children are being tried as adults while others are being tried as juveniles and receiving milder punishments. A juvenile offender may receive a few years in a juvenile detention facility and possibly probation following his release at age eighteen. An adult committing the same violent crime will receive a much harsher penalty, often years in jail, possibly a life sentence, with little or no chance of parole. The only difference between the two offenders is the age at which they committed the crime. Juveniles over

Around 1980s and 1990s, the crimes committed by juveniles raised. Now if they were mostly in juvenile prisons and released, so why did the rate of violent crimes nearly double? Why did the numbers of murder nearly tripled?

Throughout the past 30 years or so, the idea of a juvenile or teenager being tried as an adult has been a very controversial issue. When a juvenile commits a very heinous crime, many believe that that youth deserves to be tried as an adult, and given a full sentence. Some even believe that these juveniles deserve to go to adult prison. "When a child kills, does he instantly become an adult? Or does he maintain some trappings of childhood, despite the gravity of his actions?" (Reaves Para 1). What draws the line between a juvenile and adult crime? Sentencing shouldn't change between a juvenile and an adult. Our criminal justice system should stay true to its title and provide justice for all of those that may have been effected by a murder

During the past century, there have been several significant shifts in the legal system’s approach towards juvenile crime. The lack of due process protections afforded to juveniles, combined with the concomitant failure of juvenile courts either to reduce crime or rehabilitate young offenders, led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1967 landmark case, In re Gault, which granted juveniles the right to counsel and the privilege against self-incrimination (Birckhead, 2008). In regards to the question, I believe there would be changes regarding interrogations for adolescents who are eight years old for various reasons. The first reason I believe there would be changes is because it is doubtful a child that young could understand their Miranda rights.

Many of those who are in favor of prosecuting juveniles as adults believe that the juvenile justice system is too relaxed. Therefore, they believe that juvenile offenders don’t recognize the seriousness of their crime. But should the punishment

“The crime rate for juveniles is actually decreasing every year. We are on a 5 year decline right now and still going down hitting our lowest point in 2012” (Gately, 2013). Kids are starting to learn the right ways early on in life keeping them in school, out of trouble and finding good jobs. This is because juveniles know what the consequences will be for committing a crime before they do the act and get punished for it. Another reason the crimes are decreasing is because the punishments are becoming more severe. You see kids as young as eight or nine being charged as adults rather than coming off the hook with just a slap on the