Juvenile Criminals

Research studies have been conducted to demonstrate that adolescent brains are without full adult potential thus, adolescents should not be charged with adult sentences for crimes committed under the age of 18. Several doctors note that the under development of the brain, though it does not excuse criminal behavior, should not result in a life sentence or any other irreversible or extreme punishment (Beckman, 2004, p. 1). Beckman (2004) also states that “eight medical and mental health organizations, including the American Medical Association cite a sheaf of developmental

Imagine witnessing your parents’ brutal murder right in front of you. Your father is forced to his knees and shoot in the back of his head, execution-style. Your mother’s teeth lie on the floor from the bullet propelled through the side of her head. The fiend proceeds to move forward and shoot her brains out. For Carroll, this was a reality. Robert Acuna barbarically murdered James and Joyce Carroll. What do you think this savage deserves? In America, adolescents can be tried as adults at ages as young as 10. They can be sent to an adult prison with adult cellmates, trapped in an adult environment that they just are not ready for. The prison environment is very influential and may change adolescents for the worse. Exposure to adult criminals

The juvenile court was founded on the belief that juveniles just don't posses the cognitive capacity to fully understand the repercussions of their actions. The juvenile court used to use all its resources to focus on how to rehabilitate juveniles, now all the court proceeding are to establish the legal guilt of a juvenile offender and a small percentage of the legal process establishing adequate punishment. Research on the brain over the last twenty years gives us more knowledge about how children develop and think. Until recently scientists believed the brain was fully developed by age 12. With brain imaging research we now know that this is not true(4 walker). The May 10, 2004 issue of Time Magazine discusses the development of the teen brain in great detail. Dr. Ruben Gur, a professor and director of the Brain Behavior Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania states that impulse control is the last area of the brain to develop and the first to fail as we age(4 walker). Teens do not think like adults due to the lack of impulse control and raging hormones. Hormones fuel emotional responses in teens. Drug use during these formative years damages brain development. How teens spend their time may affect the development of the brain(4 walker). Other research at the National Institute of Mental Health suggests that full

Minors that do serious crimes, like assault or drug trafficking, shouldn’t be charged as adults. Some people say,”Old enough to do the crime, old enough to do the time”,but sending them to an actual adult jail, will make them much more worse, rather then giving them the help they need. According to the Centres for Disease Control, young people who are charged as adults are nearly 35% likelier to be rearrested than those who are tried as juveniles. Minors tried as juveniles are less likely to be rearrested because, they get the help they need. The minors in a juvenile facility receive counseling and other support they need to turn their life around. From The New York Times Upfront magazine, a 17 year old who was charged for attempt of murder was send to a juvenile facility and really turned his life around, having a bachelor’s degree and planning to graduate high school.

“I think it's important for us as a society to remember that the youth within juvenile justice systems are, most of the time, youths who simply haven't had the right mentors and supporters around them because of circumstances beyond their control,” (qtd. in Brainy Quotes) are wise words from Q'orianka Kilcher, a human rights activist. Many Americans feel adolescents should be held accountable for their behavior; however, trying them as if they are adults is not always the optimum course of action. Because the teenage brain matures from back to front, the prefrontal cortex is not established until mid-twenties. Ordinarily adolescents can be rehabilitated in order to avert future offending; yet when tried as an adult, all hope for rehabilitation is lost. A one time mistake will follow an adolescent around for the rest of his/her life, dramatically decreasing the opportunities for success. Trying adolescents as adults is an injustice due to their lack of rationality and potential for rehabilitation.

In New York Times’ “Greg Ousley is Sorry For Killing His Parents. Is That Enough?”, Scott Anderson interviews Greg Ousley, who murdered his parents at age 14, and reveals that Greg’s familial neglect led to his mental illness and displayed ideation. Juveniles struggling with their mental health need guidance from trusted adults and also have a chance to rehabilitate as well. Age should be taken into consideration as well when regarding punishment. In Marjie Lundstrom’s reading “Kids Are Kids - Until They Commit Crimes”, she discusses that “And the bigger the crime, the more eager we are to call them adults.

It is being argued if youths should be charged as adults throughout a heinous crime. It is said that kids brain development hasn’t fully grown to it’s full potential such as adults and by that they don’t know from right and wrong. Also, another argument brought up was the age of teens being prosecuted in adult courts. But if you do the crime, shouldn’t you do the time? From my point of view, teens should be prosecuted in the adult justice system.

For years may people have debated whether or not juveniles should be tried as adults for serious crimes. The juvenile justice system was established in the year 1899(Long). Laws were first created to handle small cases such as truancy, shoplifting, and vandalism (Estudillo). Since 1993, at least 43 states have passed laws making it easier for children to be tried as adults (Estudillo). Juveniles should be tried as adults because by the time they’re about 12 they know that murder is wrong, if they’re grown up enough to kill someone then they’re old enough for adult consequences, and a lot of kids see the juvenile justice system as a way to get away with crime.

I believe juveniles should be tried as an adult if the crime they have committed was serious. On the other hand I don’t believe juveniles should be tried as adults if the crime was somewhat minor. In my opinion there is two sides to trying juveniles as adults. Young teens sometimes are not as mature to handle the consequences as adults. Other young teens are just as mature as an adult.

Many of the youths that are incarcerated are in between 16 to 22 years of age, and many of these are male rather than female. Over forty-four percent of youths arrested are under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or sometimes the combination of both. Not only that but most of the accused commit the crime with someone, not by themselves. The young adults are more inclined to commit any type of crime under the influence or with some of their 'friends' encouragement. These are most commonly seen in teens who want and need to belong. The teenage years are a period of life that is shapeable by many stressors, such as physical changes, school, relationships with friends and parents, and also romantic relationships. Many succumb to the need to belong that they turn to people that are not the right motivator the adolescent needs.

Juveniles should be tried as adults no matter the crime. Should juveniles be tried as adults is a question asked by most people, Being a juvenile is referring to someone who is young. Juveniles should be tried as adults because they want to act like they know everything, juveniles should be able to know what is right and what is wrong, juveniles should be able to make wise decisions and juveniles should not be tried as adults because they have a whole child hood ahead of them.

In the court case of every minor, a judge must decide whether or not the minor should be tried as an adult or as a minor, but should this even be an option? James Backstrom argues that minors should be tried as adults to prove that violence in our society will not be tolerated, no matter the age of the perpetrator. However, in my opinion, children are immature, held hostage in toxic environments, and minors are treated differently in other aspects, so it should stay that way when it comes to breaking the law.

A number of researchers have suggested over years that teenage brains are not yet fully developed. At the National Institute of Mental Health researchers have studied the human brain ever since the stage of birth all the way to adulthood, to prove that the brain is not complete. When it comes to this topic, Americans assume that if a teenage commits a crime than they should not be held accountable because of their age. Yet they must consider that teens are capable of understanding the situation they are in, how they are looked upon as young adults,, and how they should learn from their mistakes.

When deciding how juveniles should be treated or punished for their crimes, depends on the individual and the severity of the crime they commit. The term juvenile is classified as anyone who commits a crime that is generally between the ages of 7 and 17. There are many critics that argue different ways and ideas on how to handle juveniles and whether or not their age should affect their consequences. Some view that juveniles should be treated more for rehabilitation rather than punishing them. The supporters that believe in rehabilitation for juveniles have come up with ideas like boot camps and detention facilities. Then there are some critics that believe that juveniles should just be punished for their actions and take responsibility

Would you consider a juvenile who commits a crime such as murder an adult? Over the years there has been many cases of juveniles committing crimes for possession of drugs, committing murder or other crimes but they fall under the name juveniles for a reason. The word Juvenile means a young person and if they’re being judged as adults why do we call them juveniles? A juveniles is only a person who is barely learning about live and they may commit the crime due to several reasons. A juvenile may commit a crime because they may have a broken home with bad influences, they still haven’t developed their brains to the fullest and because the juvenile has problems at school or work (if the juvenile works).