You are in a courtroom, and the person who clearly committed the crime is being prosecuted for it. This person is normal, they can think straight, and they know what they did was wrong. But all they get is a slap on the wrist and then set free. A juvenile who commits a crime is guilty of the crime committed. It is as simple as that. Criminals should be punished for whatever they did, no matter their age. As you get older, you are given more privileges. Such as being able to vote, buying a house, but most importantly, you gain responsibility for your own actions. At eighteen, an individual legally becomes an adult. An adult can now buy cigarettes, enter adult-only clubs, and even get married. After turning eighteen, you are no longer tried for crimes in juvenile courts. Some eighteen year olds are not happy about this. Is it fair for a seventeen year old to be tried in a juvenile court, receiving a lesser sentence than an eighteen year old who committed the same …show more content…
However, the juvenile justice system must maintain vigilance in order to combat the growing trend of violent young offenders. It is the job of the criminal justice system to bestow justice upon those who have committed a crime. It is agreed that juveniles who commit violent crimes are often too young to understand completely the ramifications of their actions. Yet, it would not be fair to the victim or the victim’s family to allow the juvenile offender the opportunity to receive a lesser sentence than the crime usually carries. Young people who commit violent crimes should be sentenced as adults because a crime is a crime, they should be more responsible for their own actions, and it would prevent them from committing future
Juveniles should be tried as adults when they commit serious crimes as opposed to rehabilitation or various forms of lesser sentencing. The rate of juveniles in prison has increased over the years. Many young adults and children often seek for attention which leads them to cause trouble out in the streets. There are risk levels that officers have to make in order to help the juveniles or if committing a serious crime, they should pay the consequences. Many may oppose and think that young adults and children are not adults, but they should be punished for the crimes they have done.
Today’s heated debate regarding the decision to try juveniles as adults has prompted individuals to construct opinionated and informational articles on the topic. The nation’s troubled youth are protected by groups that believe these offenders deserve rehabilitation and a chance to develop into a productive member of society. However, others believe that those committing certain heinous crimes should be tried as adults as a means to protect public safety, prevent second offenders, and “dispense justice in the form of punishment” (Aliprandini & Michael, 2016). Because these perspectives offer a reasonable and valid argument, juveniles responsible for major crimes
There are many similarities and differences between the adult and juvenile justice systems. Although juvenile crimes have increased in violence and intensity in the last decade, there is still enough difference between the two legal proceedings, and the behaviors themselves, to keep the systems separated. There is room for changes in each structure. However, we cannot treat/punish juvenile offenders the way we do adult offenders, and vice versa. This much we know. So we have to find a way to merge between the two. And, let’s face it; our juveniles are more important to us in the justice system. They are the group at they
Everyone, especially in matters of serious crimes, should get the Justice they deserve. In a juvenile court, the sentences will be less stringent because of someone's age. An example is given on the website https://flowpsychology.com/10-pros-and-cons-of-juveniles-being-tried-as-adults/, “In 2006 a 12-year-old girl killed her entire family for not approving of her boyfriend. She was only given 10 years.” Juvenile courts are not allowed to deliver the death penalty. In a situation where the death penalty would
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
Juveniles should be tried as adults because they only serve a few years in prison, they deserve a harsher punishment, and they are committing crimes at a younger age.
In today's society, there are many crimes going on. Adults are not the only ones that commit crimes. One issue today is that juvenile offenses and whether juvenile offenders should be tried as adults in criminal court. A common phrase that is often used in this case of young juveniles committing crimes is "Old enough to do the crime, old enough to do the time." This phrase should be cleared to people that juveniles are not adults, and with this being said it will not make them one. "It has redefined juvenile offenses by treating most of them as delinquent acts to be adjudicated within a separate juvenile justice system that is theoretically designed to recognize the special needs and immature status of young people and emphasize rehabilitation over punishment" (Steinberg). While juveniles should be responsible for their actions, and should be held accountable for the crime, then the juvenile justice system is design to determine the consequences. Youths are still minors and are less mature. They often face a lot of negative peer pressure. Therefore, juveniles should not be tried in courts as adults.
The brain is considered undeveloped until one is in their mid-20s. At the age of 13, youths are known to have an undeveloped sense of responsibility, and lack a great deal of maturity. Which causes them to have little control over their environment. The two girls at age 13 accused of attempting murder on a classmate show them to be two dangerous individuals. But, for them to plan this to impress a fictional internet character shows their decisions are made due to their immature psychological level of their age.
Juveniles should be considered as adults at courts because they need to learn from their mistakes, they are old enough to know what they do, and they have to be considered as adults on how bad the crime was at court. Juveniles should be considered as adults so they can learn about what they did wrong.
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.
The question to whether or not a juvenile should be tried as an adult for committing a crime is still quite complex. There are those that believe a crime is a crime and no matter who the person may be they shouldn’t be punished the same way as everyone else. Though other oppose that they shouldn’t be punished so harshly because it can severely fracture their mental health. Though there must be some other resolution to sentencing juveniles to life prison and therefore ruining their
There are many cases where juveniles have gotten their life ruined because they are convicted as being an adult. Juveniles should not be tried as adults no matter how severe the crime might appear,if and only if they did not plan the murder. There are many factors that drive a juvenile to commit a crime which they did not intend or plan. A teenager’s background is one of the major reasons why they behave erratically. The example they receive from their guardians at home has a major impactor effect as to how they think and act.
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
Many young adolescents who have committed horrendous crimes have been a huge topic amongst the Supreme Court. Whether young adolescents are viewed as innocent, naive children to the public, this not changed the fact they can commit brutal crimes. In spite of the fact that adolescents have committed brutal crimes such as murder, one needs to understand that their brains are not as fully developed as an adult brain would be. Adolescents should not be trialed to a life sentence or attend adult prisons; however, they should be punished for their actions and undergo rehabilitation programs to help them be prepared to fit in with the rest of society.
Serious crimes such as murder, burglary and rape have raised questions as to whether the young offenders should face severe punitive treatment or the normal punitive measures in juvenile courts. Many would prefer the juveniles given harsh punishment in order to discourage other young people from engaging in similar activities and to serve as a lesson to these particular offenders. However, results from previous studies indicate such punitive measures were neither successful nor morally acceptable. Instead, the solutions achieved have unfairly treated the youths and compromised the society status (Kristin, page 1).