Children Should Be Tried As Adults

The article “On Punishment and Teen Killers,” by Jennifer Jenkins, explains why teens should be punished as adults and how the media is influencing the youth to commit serious crimes. The author, Jennifer Jenkins, shares her case where her sister with her unborn child, were murdered by a teen with a gun. She explains that there are advocates who wish to minimize the offender's culpability simply because of their age. Jenkins add that in America, weapons are easily available to our youth, and that they grow in a violence-loving culture. She says that the Inuit people of northern Canada had no juvenile crime at all until 1980 with the introduction of television into their culture, which influenced the teens to commit crimes. Jenkins affirms that if brain development would be the cause of the teens to commit crimes, so then the whole world should have the same rate of juvenile crimes.

Children are not mature and sometimes are unaware of the consequences that have taken place due to their actions. Taking someone’s life can be very dangerous, but if you are young enough to commit an adult crime then you should be charged as an adult as well.

The numbers of Juveniles being tried, and convicted as adults within the U.S are beginning to rise drastically. There are many reasons for the sudden increase such as lack of space in juvenile detention centers, and the rise in repeat offenders. This is starting to become a serious issue due to the effects that this act has on kids under the age of 18 no matter the crime at hand. Cambridge Dictionary describes a Juvenile Delinquent as, “a young person, usually under 18, who commits a crime” (Cambridge Dictionary) Many Juveniles are being tried as adults as well as convicted due to the crime committed. Though this is a strong argument as to why they should be allowed to live among adult convicts, the effects that this move can have on juveniles

● James Q. Wilson, among others, warned of increased levels of juvenile violence. Wilson asserted that “by the end of the decade [i.e., by 2000] there will be a million more people between the ages of 14 and 17 than there are now. . .Six percent of them will become high rate, repeat offenders— 30,000 more young muggers, killers and thieves than we have now. Get ready” (Wilson, 1995, p. 507).

Over the past several decades more adolescences are being arrested and prosecuted. Not only are more children being put the juvenile justice system younger and younger children are being tried as adults. In more recent years thousand of adolescences are being placed in adult court systems and sentencing them to longer and harsher punishments. Although crime has gone down significantly in America the number of juvenile offenders has increased greatly. Many people in our society today believe that children who commit violent crimes should be tried in the adult court system even though they are under the age of eighteen. Although these children committed crimes such as an adult, this does not mean they are adults and should be sentenced as one.

“Some children commit heinous crimes should any child be tried as an adult? Well in my opinion yes children should be tried as an adult, because children should know how to stop acting up they should have punishments not so harsh as an adult, because then that would be a little too harsh on some children. They should at least have a day or two in juvenile so they could understand what they did was wrong and not smart for them to do. Too much crimes might just be enough for them to stay in juvenile until they are eighteen and then they will start to learn in actual jail, and they will learn not to repeat the same steps all over again, but in the other hand the governor wants to bring death penalty back, the death penalty is when they torture

Over twenty five thousand people have been violently killed this year in America, and while the US has an amazing criminal justice system, many of those crimes were committed by juveniles. It is noteworthy, however, that many of those, in turn, were not truly guilty, but simply made a bad choice. The truth is, an adult’s sentence makes finding housing and jobs harder, and juveniles may receive a sentence similar to an adult’s, despite their age. In addition, even the juvenile justice system, not to mention the adult one, can increase the odds of breaking the law again in life, and teenagers’ brains simply have difficulty in decision-making, for no fault of their own. It follows that children should receive less punishing sentences than adults.

Children under 16 years old, who have committed violent crimes, should not be tried as adults in the United States. Children under 16 should be put in a juvenile court no matter what crime they have committed. The child may know right from wrong, but they shouldn’t be sentenced years in a prison if they are younger than 16. However, they do deserve consequences for their actions, just not as harsh as adult court would make it for the juvenile. The U.S. Government should make a law to keep children under 16 out of adult court.

Juvenile offending is a concern in society today. Juveniles account for approximately 19% of the population but are responsible for 29% of criminal arrests (Cottle, Lee, & Heilbrun, 2001). Crime overall has been found to be decreasing throughout the last two decades. The issue is that the rate in which adult crime is decreasing is significantly greater than the rate in which juvenile crime is decreasing. Since the rate of juvenile crime is so high, juvenile delinquents are seen as predators and many believe they lack morals. The way in which media of today’s society constructs juvenile delinquency impacts the views of a community towards their youth and youth offenders. Media presents an inaccurate image of youth offenders as violent predators (Rhineberger-Dunn, 2013). This inaccurate image significantly promotes the myths that juvenile crime is rising, juveniles commit crimes that are primarily violent, and that juveniles are highly effected by recidivism and continue committing crimes into adulthood (Bohm, & Walker, 2013). It has already been stated though that crime rates have been decreasing over the last two decades so the first myth is refuted. The myth that juveniles primarily commit violent crimes is also very off. In most cases, juveniles are involved in property crimes and although there are some violent crime cases, they are very rare. When these rare violent crimes do occur, youth can be tried in adult court. The

You walk into a court room, and the person clearly committed the crime they are being prosecuted for. This person is normal, they can think straight, they know what they did was wrong. But all they get is a slap on the wrist and are set free. A child/teenager who commits a crime is guilty. It is as simple as that, you should be punished for whatever you did no matter how old you are.

Over the years the question on whether trying children as adults has come across many people’s minds on whether it is good, bad, and will it change anything. Many say that trying children is good and that they should be tried as adults. Many say that trying children is good and that they should be tried as adults because of their wrongdoings. Most children should know when something is right or wrong and know when they are committing a crime. If a child knows that something is wrong, a child should know consequences come along with the crime. It is good to try a child because this way the child knows that the law is no joke and should not be taken for granted. A child being tried receives discipline and learns knowledge not to do the crime again.

With so many people concerned about the increase in violent crimes in society today, the logical place to begin the process of changing is with the dangerous youth. The increase in laws that allow more juveniles to be prosecuted in adult court rather than juvenile court is intended to serve as a deterrent (Scialabba 4). If minors who commit violent crimes were tried as adults and punished as adults, the number of violent crimes committed by youths would decline. Juvenile offenders, particularly the most violent must be

The question is often asked whether a teen should be convicted as an adult or a child after committing a crime. Depends on how bad the crime is reflects whether a teen should be tried as an adult or not. Many people believe that criminals under 18 should not be tried as adults because they are kids, but when is a kid still a kid? By law people under 18 are still kids but they can make the same decisions as if they were adults. Teens who commit violent crimes should be sentenced as adults because they are old enough to comprehend the consequences and know the difference between right and wrong.

Violent crimes involving youths are on the rise. This type of violence is worsening and if something is not done to reduce the number of violent crimes, future generations will be affected and they will become desensitized to criminal activity and behavior. Presently, violent crimes that involve youths are a result of the environment, economy, society, and culture.

Our society incorporates violence into nearly every aspect of its existence.  We pick up the newspaper or turn on the television and find details of the latest violent crimes.  More often these crimes involve children.  Recently two young boys murdered a young girl for her bicycle.  They valued a material object more than a human life.  At some point in their lives they learned it was okay to harm another individual.  No one provoked them and they were not defending themselves.  They acted out of pure selfishness.  Sadly this scenario has become all too familiar over the last few years.  In the past two decades violent crime among juveniles ages 14-17 has increased tremendously.  Between 1983 and 1992 juvenile arrests increased 117%