Juveniles In Adult Jails

Whether or not we should try juveniles as adults has always been a controversial issue. First of all, “juveniles” are children who fall under the age of 18. However, the legal age varies within certain states across the USA. Despite the age difference, some juveniles are still tried as adults. Does convicting a juvenile as an adult, turn out to be a better problem-solver, and how is this affecting the deterrence of crime?

If we simply send juveniles through the adult justice system it might make them worse individuals. For instance, since their minds are still growing, by being around worse criminals they may pick on their criminal traits.

In the article “On Punishment and Teen Killers” the author states “My youngest sister was the joy of our close family. When a teenager murdered her and her husband in 1990 in suburban Chicago, she was pregnant with their first child. She begged for the life of her unborn child as he shot her. He reported to a friend, who testified at his trial, about his “thrill kill” that he just wanted to “see what it would feel like to shoot someone.” This teen was charged as adult by the JLWOP ( Juvenile Life without Parole) his problem was he was believed to be a serial killer in the making. In the article Jenkins states “ After a series of other crimes, he planned the murders for months, carefully and privately. He did not act on impulse of peer pressure…” This quote means the teenager had other intentions of killing more people his problem was he just wanted to understand how it felt to kill someone and the consequence after the crimes were done. Maybe he believed since he was underage he would not get charged as an adult.

Juveniles can be sentenced for periods of time so long it usually prohibits them from many things they could or hoped to accomplish in their lifetime, such as getting married, having children , possibly joining the military, etc. “The determination whether a young person is prosecuted in juvenile court or in the adult criminal court is at its core a question about punishment” ( Vaughan 1 ). Young juveniles could have possibly just been in the wrong place at the wrong time when a crime is committed so therefore they could end up being punished as an adult if the court decides that. Kids that are associated to a crime and put in jail sometimes should maybe be given a second chance or have their part in the case looked at differently depending on the role they played in the crime that was

In addition, think about how they will be affected if tried as an adult and convicted. Let us remember, the United States has the Juvenile Justice System, which is solely for juvenile delinquents. This is supposed to protect them from receiving longer sentences, and harsh punishments, which is the opposite of adult courts. Also, the Juvenile Justice System is supposed to help rehabilitate the juvenile. Luckily, for juveniles, the “court had recognized that even homicide does not warrant a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole if the offender is less than 18 years old at the time of the crime” (Holt p.1395). However, in “Nevada, Mississippi, and Utah, lawmakers now leave it up to the juvenile courts to decide whether to transfer a juvenile to adult court” (Brown p. 21). Unfortunately, juveniles sent to adult prison suffer physically, mentally, and emotionally. With that

Juveniles are defined as criminals who are under the age of 18. Due to an increasing number of juvenile homicides, the juvenile system began to try minors as adults. However, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that, “Not only do young offenders treated as adults reoffend sooner and more frequently, they’re also more likely to go on to commit violent crimes” (Greenblatt par. 17). If a 17-year-old is tried as an adult, they spend time with the older and more experienced criminals.

In the article, ¨Kids Are Kids-Until They Commit Crime,¨ by Marjie Lundstrom explains that if kids/teens should be in prison for a crime. The crime kids commit depends on how big the crime really is then they should should be called adults. In the article there was examples of cases that kids commit of a twelve year old girl Lionel Tate who beat to death a six-year-old girl. Now Lionel will be charged as an adult and a first degree murder. Adolescent don't know what they get into until they commit the crime in jail they will be treated the same way as an adult. Sometimes they will regret it because they aren't teens no more they won't be able to do normal things anymore, no more toys, playing with friends their conscious won't be the

In addition, more than 10,000 juveniles are relocated into adult prisons and jails everyday. Teens shouldn't be tried as adults because a young person released from juvenile prison is less likely to commit a crime than someone coming out a adult facility. Also, there are assets that juvenile delinquent centers provide and information about unjust cases on trying teens as adults. The unconstitutional practice of sentencing children to life in prison without the opportunity of redemption or parole, remains one of the most brutal parts of

A deep look into juveniles in adult prisons. Touch bases on several smaller issues that contribute to juveniles being in and effects of adult prisons. The United States Bureau of Prisons handles two hundred and thirty-nine juveniles and their average age is seventeen. Execution of juveniles, The United States is one of only six countries to execute juveniles. There are sixty-eight juveniles sitting on death row for crimes committed as juveniles. Forty-three of those inmates are minorities. People, who are too young to vote, drink alcohol, or drive are held to the same standard of responsibility as adults. In prisons, they argue that the juveniles become targets of older, more hardened criminals. Brian

Juveniles can be tried as adults for crimes ranging from kidnapping, murder, rape, arson, robbery, torture, assault, and more. Some of the cases that are sent to adult court are petty crimes, such as: underage drinking, possession of a controlled substance, and other minor crimes. The question is whether they should be tried as adults. These are all adult actions, on one hand, and may lead a person to wonder what brought a child to commit these crimes. One might further inspect that if a child or teenager is engaged in so-called “adult” activities, what kind of activities might a child choose to be involved in adulthood? What is the child’s background? Can you blame the child of a heroin addict for having access to drugs at a young age? Can you blame the child of a murderer for acting out? Yes, everyone has a choice even a child.

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.

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

“I used to believe are our future but now I realize that this, sadly isn’t the reality. Through laws that treat kids like adults, the government is throwing away the future of children in this country.” (D. Lee) An estimated 200,000 juveniles are tried as adults. The term juvenile refers to any young person under the age of 18. For most states in the United States, the age of majority is 18. While there are many things that juveniles are unable to do until they reach the age of 18, being charged as an adult for a crime is not amongst those things in some states. Juveniles are not allowed to vote, drink alcohol, or sign a legal contract, yet they can be charged and treated like adults when it comes to them being

There are plenty of articles out there that are talking about charging juveniles, as adults. Some say and augrue that charging, trying, and also converting these young kids as adults has multiple negative consequences. One of the main points said that “it is costly, more than $31,000, on average, to incarcerate an adult for a year.” That is a lot of money to be using but, is it probably going to be less money in the long run. Then if you didn’t charge them now, and then they keep being ruthless acts of crime. One of the other articles, that I read said that children should not be charged as adult when they are just children “except for extreme circumstances.” That's because the children brain is not fully developed yet, and it will not be fully developed until their mid twenties.

I believe juveniles with a major criminal background, such as murder should be sued as adults and faced life in prison if it’s necessary. Being a minor should not be an excuse to pay for the felonies someone commits. Although many opponents think that a minor shouldn’t be charged as an adult, arguing that juveniles don’t know what they doing when they are doing something illegal because a brain of a teen is not fully develop until they are 18 years old. But is it true? Who proved that? A criminal not only affects his victim, but also third persons for example the victim’s family and sometimes even the criminal’s family.