New York States Criminal Policy Essay

Introduction Juvenile delinquency is a relatively new phenomenon. For this reason, society’s reactions and solutions to the problem of delinquency are also modern developments. The United States developed the first youth court in 1899 and is now home to many new and formerly untested methods of juvenile rehabilitation and correction. One

New York City is one of the world's most known cities, it is known as the melting pot. New York City has a blend of cultures all in one city. From the statue of liberty, malls and sky scrapers to the parks and restaurants, there’s always something to do or see. But like any other city, crime does exist. With that being said people are starting to feel unsafe. Citizens are moving from the place they once called home. Most believe that there's life in a civil society where kids can grow safely, nourish and thrive off the environment.

If a juvenile, over fourteen has the ability and willingness to commit a violent crime they should be tried and punished as an adult. A fourteen year old knows right from wrong. He (or she) is able to tell whether they are committing a crime. If a juvenile is mature enough to commit an adult crime, they should be treated as an adult, and punished justly according to the adult law. The difference in age in two people should not determine their punishment if they have committed the same crime under the same or similar pretenses.

Incarceration of Youth The United States leads the world in the incarceration of young people, there are over 100,000 youth placed in jail each year. Locking up youth has shown very little positive impact on reducing crime. Incarcerating youth have posed greater problems such as expenses, limited education, lack of employment, and effect on juveniles’ mental and physical well-being.

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.

From: Brittani Herring To: Reader Date: July 24, 2013 Re: Status Punishment Facts In the case of Robinson v. California, 370 U.S. 660 (1962), the Supreme Court ruled that a law may not punish a status; i.e., one may not be punished to being an alcoholic or for being addicted to drugs. However, of course, one may be punished for actions such as abusing drugs. The question becomes; What if the status “forces” the action? What if a person, because of his/her addiction to drugs, is “forced” by the addiction to purchase and abuse the illegal drugs? Would punishing that person be unfairly punishing a status?

Dear Governor Cuomo, I am a concerned citizen of New York State and also a developmental psychologist specializing in stages of development in adolescents. I am writing to you because I was just made aware that, in NYS, adolescents still could receive the death penalty as a result

Issue: The current legislation in place is a 200-year-old law. A 16-year-old can’t vote or buy cigarettes so why should they have adult privileges in the criminal

In the academic article, Oklahoma’s juvenile justice system neglects to consider for the deviations in the liability and the rehabilitative potential among adults and children, and it carries numerous financial and social costs. Although adults and children are treated differently by the law, in the criminal context, these differences have faded over the past 40 years. The social costs of making a criminal out of a child who made bad decisions as a kid are often overlooked. Instead, we could turn that cost and direct it to make that child a contributing member of society. In my opinion, I feel that this article makes a strong point that we use all this money to keep these children incarcerated while hurting them instead of actually correcting

By law adolescents are not able to vote, purchase tobacco or alcohol, join the armed forces, or sign a legal contract. Children are not permitted the same rights and responsibilities as adults because the law recognizes their inability to make adult decisions. The law acknowledges that children are unable to handle the consequences that come along with the rights that adults have. By allowing them to be charged as adults is holding them to a double standard. Telling them that they are not old enough to enjoy the same luxuries as adults, but they can experience the same punishment as adults if they commit a crime. The law acknowledged the inability of children to make decisions but still allows them to suffer the same consequences as adults. Research demonstrates that transferring children from juvenile court to adult court does not decrease recidivism, and in fact actually increases crime. Instead of the child learning their mistake they are more likely to repeat it. Juvenile detention centers have programs that help reconstruct young minds and help them realize where they went wrong. Prison does not offer this same opportunity. (Estudillo, Mary Onelia)

There are no national standards that declare the exact age at when a defendant knows right from wrong; however, states have adopted a variety of laws declaring the age of criminal responsibility. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia have set eighteen as the age of criminal responsibility; however, most defendants, seventeen or younger may be tried in juvenile courts. Some states such as Wisconsin, North Carolina, New York, Massachusetts, and Illinois set their minimum age for criminal acts at sixteen. Despite that fact, that states set individual ages for juveniles to be to tried as an adult for the crime committed, it is accurate to note that juveniles can and have been tried as adults when under the minimum age within the state law.

Making poor decisions is a rite of passage in the life of a teenager. But what happens when making a poor decision results in unforeseen consequences that can lead to the destruction of an individual’s adult life. For some juveniles, those poor decisions consist of the commission of

Prisons where essentially build to accommodate a number of prisoners but over the years it has reach over capacity. Today in the United States there are approximately 193,468 federal inmates that consisting of the Bureau of Prisons Custody, private managed facilities and other facilities. The inmates ages range from 18- 65 with the median age being in their late 30’s. This number is counting both male and female population with male being 93.3% of inmates and females being 6.7%. The number of inmates has steadily increase since 1980 with only having approximately less than 50,000 but today the number has gone more up. Drug offenses are the highest number for inmate’s imprisonment, the next highest offense would be weapons, explosives and arson; immigration and miscellaneous fall next in lines. The number for the other offenses such as robbery, extortion, fraud, bribery, burglary, larceny, property offenses and other offenses are lower. Overcrowding prison has become problematic as the prison population continue to increase leading to proper care and attention for prisoners.

- Adolescent who committed more serious crime gets the chance to get out of the jail and repeats the same crime again.

It may seem shocking that America has one of the highest crime rates per capita compared to other similar industrialized nations. Over the years, there have been many discussions and efforts in order to reduce this problem. Perhaps one of the more sensitive issues when discussing crime in America is the problem of juvenile crime. Recently, juveniles make up 3% of all felonies committed each year and 6% of all violent crimes (criminamerica.net). These statistics have troubled politicians for decades as they have worked to find a solution. Starting in 1994 the Clinton administration started putting stricter punishment on juvenile offenders, but it was quickly realized that this harsh punishment may not be the best solution. Various studies and programs put into action have shown that early prevention in a child’s life is much more effective and more cost efficient in reducing crime. Because of these efforts, juvenile crime has reduced 68% since the violent boom of the 1990s. In light of these discoveries, it is important for states to focus on these results in order to reduce crime.