Not Yet an Adult in the Juvenile Justice System Essay

Teenage murders may be unprecedented, but violence is not. The past has followed us right up to today. Several national magazines recently ran alarming stories about the epidemic of criminal and group violence. Rolling Stone in "A Pistol-Whipped Nation" and both Time and Newsweek ran alarming cover stories about the "virtual epidemic of youth violence." Newsweek's "Teen Violence: Wild in the Streets," decried the number of young people carrying guns, using them, being shot, and being killed. Accompanying all this was a casual if not blase attitude indicating that, as one expert quoted in Time put it, "Violence is hip right now."

Controversy arose in 1998, about the definition of who was considered as a minor or an adult or what the average appropriate behavior was (Brown, 1998). People back then weren’t sure the age of accountability was which raised uncertainty. The crime data at the time showed that juvenile crime increased 70% from 1986 (Brown, 1998). U.S citizens were bombarded by this increase in crime and would have led to hysteria. Crime had risen to its peak in U.S. history, which concerned U.S. citizens

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.

Despite their young age, many states continue to try teenagers as adults, often resulting in harsher adult penalties than youth processed in the juvenile system. As teenagers are still in the process of developing into an adulthood and are still learning about what they want to do with their lives, they deserve to be tried as teenagers and not adults. Although the crimes that teenagers commit can be just as bad as those of adults. Juveniles should not be tried as adults because their brains are not fully developed, most have mental disabilities and mental illnesses, the punishment is dangerous and traumatizing for the juvenile, and there is an age restriction that protects them from being tried as an adult.

An aspect we should be aware about when it comes to dealing juveniles is that they are still growing up and should not even be in the same conversation as an adult who has more development in their

Children as young as eleven are committing crimes, but they are very young and know nothing about the real world. In "Startling Finds on Teenage Brains", the verdict kon a fourteen year old who shot his middle school teacher was the following: "A child is not a man"(89). Although he was found guilty of second degree murder, they did not sentence him to life in prison. His verdict was right because he is not a man, he is only fourteen years old and has not even gone to high school. This article also talks about how teens act on impulse, especially since in their teen years the

onathan Romero April 18, 2017 Juveniles should be tried as an adult in the court of law at the age of 18 because he or she has full reasoning skills and experience due to brain development, and life experience of their childhood life. Mike Tikkanen explains, "More than 200,000 individuals under the age of 18 are prosecuted in criminal court each year. " These youths can be as young as 17, without a full understanding of what is happening. The Judges and the jury come with the hard decision of saying whether the outcome is a penalty as an adult or a juvenile institution. This is wrong within the court system to be doing this, since sometimes the person is mentally handicapped, and the way someone is being tried should be changed very soon.

This paper will first define culpability, explore its various levels and examine how it is used during sentencing. Next, this paper will examine literature that supports the belief that age is not the key factor in determining culpability and should not be used to determine guilt or innocence during trial. Finally, this paper will suggest that trying juveniles as adults and remanding them into adult facilities is ineffective at decreasing juvenile crime rates. These issues will be reviewed to determine if physical (chronological) age is a justifiable cause to lessen culpability or an excuse used to mask the ineffective research efforts of lawmakers.

Many juveniles have personal problems but that does not mean they have to commit a wicked crime to feel better, they need to seek professional help. As well as adults, juveniles need to be punished the same way because if they are not punished the same, they may not actually regret the crime they committed.Seeking professional help may help theses juveniles suppress these feelings they are feeling and eventually help them in the long run.It is fair to sentence teens the same as adults for the same crime;If juveniles have the capability of committing a crime then they should be sentenced the same as an adult.

be treated like an adult and others who believe the only way to successfully punish them is to

Either to try individuals as adults or juveniles has evoked profound strife. I strongly believe that all individuals over the age 15 should be tried as an adult no matter the crime. According to the Justice Department, serious illegal offenses such as rape, assault, robbery with violence, and drug negotiation have increased among juveniles to 30% with 10% of all homicides by juveniles. To begin with, juveniles have the ability to plan a kill. As well as acknowledging that a crime by a juvenile is no different than a crime by an adult.

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

There was once a time in which juveniles were treated just as adults. There were no such things as juvenile justice system and there was very little progress in which was being incorporated. Originally the court process was informal, nothing more than a simple conversation between the

Adults are held accountable for their actions and expected to abide by the laws and if they do not there are consequences to follow. Some punishments can be as little as a monetary fine, or as detrimental as life imprisonment. Today, some children face these exact consequences depending on their actions. Certain children are held accountable for their actions and punished as adults in an adult courtroom depending on the offense and the jurisdiction. According to Campaign For Youth Justice (2012), “On any given day, approximately 2,700 young people are locked up in adult prisons” (p. 4). This is hard to understand, because the United States has a juvenile justice system that is centered on rehabilitation and reforming youth into law-abiding citizens. Campaign For Youth Justice (2012) also claimed, “On any given night in America, 10,000 children are held in adults jails and prisons” (p. 3). Currently, all states participate in serving justice to juveniles even though it is extremely difficult. Even though all states have a juvenile justice system in place, they are still able to send children to an adult courtroom to be charged and punished as an adult, otherwise known as the term “waived.” Children should not be held to the same standards as adults, there is no formal goal or point in punishing a child as an adult, and lastly, juvenile delinquents deserve the most effective treatment and rehabilitation measures available, which is unlikely in the extremely dangerous adult

In our society, a juvenile is eligible to vote at the age of 18, allowed to drive in some states at the age of 16, and permitted to drink at the age of 21. Therefore, it is logical to determine that a juvenile under the age of eighteen is mature enough to be charged as an adult when they commit violent crimes (Chiou, 131). According to the Justice Department, about ten percent of homicides occurring in the United States are committed by juveniles under the age of eighteen (abcnews.go.com). When the question of whether or not juveniles who commit violent crimes should be tried as adults arises, debates always surface. The debaters have a difficulty resolving this conflict because there are multiple perspectives on