Juveniles As Adults

Going back to the early days of American history, there were very little made to distinguish criminal responsibility of children versus that of adults. During this time, juveniles, some young as seven years old could be tried and prosecuted within an adult criminal court. Children would have to stand for trial in court based on the offenses they committed, and could then be sentenced to prison and sometimes possibly even capital punishment. Is this form of justice beneficial to minors, or does it just obstruct their futures?

There are many controversies that surround juveniles being rehabilitated rather than going through the adult justice system, but studies show that juveniles are not fully developed to be tried as an adult. One of the main questions that it always boils down to is “should juveniles be tried as adults?” in my opinion juveniles should not be tried as adults because of their age.

There is much debate over whether or not juveniles should ever be tried as adults. Juveniles are defined as children under the age of 18. In the past, juveniles have been tried in a separate juvenile court because of their age. However, trying juveniles as adults for violent crimes is a trend that is on the rise. Age is supposed to be a deterrent for placing those under 18 on trial and giving them stiffer punishments that are often reserved for adults. Many debate whether or not juveniles really should have less severe punishments or if trying some juveniles as adults will lower juvenile crime rates.

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.

“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.

Some reasons for example are the severity of the crime they committed, the juvenile's age, mental issues they may have, and their association to the crime. In some cases Juveniles are tried and punished as adults because of

When a person is charged with a crime, many people don't think that the age of said person is important because in their minds a criminal should be charged according to the law and not according to his or age. I believe that juveniles should not be tried as adults because trying them as adults affects them in ways that it does more harm than good for them and their community. The first effect of juveniles being tried as adults is that it “alters the legal process by which a

I believe adolescents should be tried as adult because from a young age humans know the difference between right or wrong. There have been many instances all over the world where juveniles commit crimes that are unexplainable and unexpected. 3 heart wrenching stories where juveniles commit the most horrid of crimes, are in the last 5 years a 10 year old boy was accused of fatally stabbing his 6th grade neighbor. While in the UK Daniel Bartlam is charged for killing his mother at the age of 14, and lastly, in the USA, an 11 year old boy is charged for killing his father's fiancee while she was pregnant. These are some example of why juveniles should be tried as adults, because if they are old enough to commit these murders they are old enough to face the full force of the justice system.

Juveniles committing crimes is not a new issued being introduced to society; actually, it has been an issue for centuries. However, the big question is, should juveniles be tried in adult courts? Before answering, take into consideration every possible scenario that could have led them to commit the crime. For instance, were they the leader in the act? Did they participate in the crime? Was the juvenile even aware of what was taking place? Were they peer pressured? Did they have any other choice at the time? There are so many other questions we could consider when making a decision here.

Many adults come up with many reasons why youth involve themselves with acts of violence, there is never an actual answer to why they committed the crime, but the question of why they are being tried as an adult. Vicious misconduct is well-defined by the Division of Juvenile Justice as “murder, rape, severe attacks, and theft. These are all actions that sound terrible and cause for harsh consequences. Unluckily, there is an increasing development of adolescent violence; even “kids” under the age of sixteen are engaging in these vicious acts. When a child comes of age, they advance to being able to enjoy but not abuse adult liberties. Adolescents attain a

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.

Should Juveniles be Tried as Adults? Violent crimes are committed in the United States everyday. Almost one-half of them are committed by teenagers ages 13 through 17 ("End of Line" 484). After the crimes have been committed and the lives of these children have been radically changed, society often demands that those who commit violent crimes be tried as adults, rather than as adolescents. Juveniles should be given light sentences and a second chance to return to the streets. Trying these teens as adults unjust and unfair, there other alternatives that our society can turn to, to help make our communities better places to live. We need to realize that children are our future, and we

18 Nov. 2015. This article speaks on why most juveniles should be tried as adults. Showing that when teens commit murder they receive less of a sentence than if an adult were to commit the same murder as the teen, the adult would most likely get a more time than a teen. The article show that New York has reduced their age to try juveniles as adults from the 16 to 13 years old.

This is a topic that always seems to interest me whenever I see an adolescent committing a serious crime in the paper. In the past I have had pretty strong opinions on the subject when it involved a very serious crime that an adolescent has committed. However, I had not considered the concept of trial for emerging adults. I have decided after researching the topic that juveniles and emerging adults should be tried differently than adults.

From the time a child is born and all the way up to their 18th birthday, they are expected to ask permission and depend on the guidance of their parents or guardians. In the United States of America, anyone under the age of 18 cannot purchase tobacco or get into a nightclub because they are still considered a minor. Children are labeled as immature, unable to make their own critical decisions, and their mental state is not fully developed. If this is the way that we define children and the standard that we set them to, then why is someone who isn’t able to even purchase a lottery ticket able to be charged as an adult, should they commit a heinous crime?