Locked Away Forever Summary

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?

This seems to be the whole fuss in the criminal justice system when juveniles commit an adult crime. Do they get off and get sent to Juvie? Or are they tried as an adult? How serious was the crime? Did they know what they were doing or how bad the consequences will be? In order to be charged as an adult for a serious crime, I think, they would have to fully understand what they did. They might not have understood fully, or at all, what the consequences of their crime was, but they knew what they were doing. In the 1st line of this article, Juvenile Justice in the U.S. Facts for Policymakers, it says: “Recent research shows that the human brain continues to develop through-out adolescence, with the prefrontal cortex - the section of the brain

There are times juveniles should not be convicted as adults because sometimes the “crimes” may not harsh enough to be charged as an adult. For example, if a 8 year old saw a gun in their mother's purse and thought it was a toy and grabbed it and began to shoot who would be at fault ? Plus children in adult prisons are 10 times more likely to be taken advantage of in their time. Research shows that children prosecuted in the adult criminal justice system are more likely to reoffend than those held in the juvenile justice

When a juvenile enters an adult court, those courts view them no longer as an adolescent, but as an adult. However, they are not adults. Juveniles are actually far from it, not just physically, but mentally as well. It is known that the human brain, specifically the prefrontal cortex and the frontal lobe,

A developing brain is dangerous, but a brain that is also being damaged is crucial. Studies show that the human brain does not finish developing until the age of 25, with the information provided, why is a juvenile being tried as an adult? After close research on the human brain, studies show that there is “a massive loss of brain tissue that occurs in the teenage years… brain cells and connections are only one being lost in the areas controlling

This system was to differ from adult or criminal court in a number of ways. It was to focus on the child or adolescent as a person in need of assistance, not on the act that brought him or her before the court. Youths are treated differently for many reasons. First of all, a human brain is not fully developed until the age of 25. In early teenage years, the brain can communicate like an adult, form and discuss complicated ideas, use language in increasingly complex ways, and will often perceive several levels of communication. While teens’ brains are developed in many areas, the frontal lobe is the last place to develop. The frontal lobe controls judgement and self-control, and is not fully developed until a person’s mid-20s. This is the reason for encouraged rehabilitation. The teen brain still has time to be influenced into making better decisions. Teens whose cases stay in juvenile court are treated differently than their counterparts who enter the adult justice system, based on the recognition that the adolescent brain is different from the adult brain and that kids might lack the intellectual or moral capacity to understand the consequences of their actions, experts say. For example, while adult cases can drag on for years, juvenile court proceedings tend to move more quickly in

Did you know, that in the United States alone, Over 200,000 children are charged and imprisoned every year as adults? Early in the 20th century, most states established juvenile courts to rehabilitate and not just punish youthful offenders. The system was designed for children to have a second chance at their lives. “A separate juvenile-justice system, which sought to rehabilitate and not just punish children, was part of a movement by progressives to create a legally defined adolescence through the passage of child-labor and compulsory education laws and the creation of parks and open spaces.”(How to reduce crime Pg 1) Although the view on juveniles committing brutal crimes is nearly inconceivable, it is not a solution to give juveniles adult consequences because the effects of the adult system on juveniles are not effective.

and why they should not be tried as adults in the justice system. It also shows the actual differences in the brain of a juvenile and the brain of an adult. In an article in the New York Times called, “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences” Gail Garinger explains why juveniles and adults are different. He states, “Young people are biologically different from adults. Brain imaging studies reveal that the regions of the adolescent brain responsible for controlling thoughts, actions and emotions are not yet fully developed.” (Garinger 93). I do not believe it is fair to treat a teenager the same as an adult knowing teenagers brains are not yet fully developed and do not possess the same level of neurotic connections. In some ways it is like expecting a child with down syndrome to act and behave the same as a normal child of the same age.

The opposing side claims that adolescents should be convicted as adults in the United States Court System. This is not at all constitutional, and healthy for the teens. Throwing adolescents into adult jails will not help them understand the real world and think about their actions, but become more disrespectful in the innapropriate environment. “In Miller, Justice Kagan noted that adolescence is marked by “immaturity, impetuosity, and failure to appreciate risks and consequences,” all factors that limit an adolescent's ability to make sound judgements” (Rovner). Without the right rehabilitation centers at adult jails, juveniles will not know what to do in the future. Along with not receiving correct rehabilitation, adolescents brains

Shawn Jennings’ communication consist of high percentage of nonverbal communication. In nonverbal communication, facial characteristics such as frowning or smiling add to the verbal message conveyed however, Jennings condition did not allow any expressions at all. It was really hard for nurses to understand his feelings. Nurses tried to make him comfortable on based on their knowledge, but it made Jennings to feel worse in truth. Considering his condition, it was nurse’s observation skill that allowed Jennings and the nurse to communicate. In Locked In Locked Out, Jennings indicated that he has an allergy problem that created congested nose. Jennings was irritated with discomfort, however, all he showed was inability to blow his nose. It took

In the light of extreme juvenile cases, the juvenile system has conceded age exceptions, by allowing juveniles that commit heinous crimes to be divided into a system where they aren’t tried as an adult based on the fact that they’re only kids. If the belief that they are only kids, shouldn’t they learn that when their kids, the actions they commit have consequences. Although it’s understandable if the juvenile system argues, that for many kids, their parents play a huge part on their developments, but in the case that there is parental neglect, and they don’t know the consequences of their actions, then they shouldn’t be tried as an adult, largely based on the fact that they don’t have parents to teach them values, and the result is that their brains are incapable of knowing the capacities of their actions. If this is the result, then the reasons to not tried them as an adult, is correct, but the reasons to

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.

“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

In my own opinion, I consider juveniles as immature because they lack the ability to recognize the long term impact of their actions as they have decreased levels of responsibility. Therefore, the justice system should not charge juveniles in adult legal system and sentence them as adults.Trying juveniles as adults exposes the young offenders to state penitentiaries up to life in prison without parole and even sentenced to death. This raises a question on how truly effective treating juveniles as adults are to the young offenders. As the crimes committed by juveniles increase, there has been an outcry from the public and affected to prosecute juveniles accused of serious crimes as adults. It is true that juveniles do

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.