Placing Minors In Adult Prisons

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?

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

In the article “On Punishment and Teen Killers” by Jennifer Jenkins asserts that teens are becoming more violent and starting commit more crimes because of the national television they watch.Jenkins tells the reader about “JLWOP” (Juvenile Life Without Parole) and how kids are being sentenced to life in prison without parole.Some people are trying to advocate to minimize the offender culpability because of their age.While kids are getting sentenced to life without parole, this disproves juvenile advocates reliance on the undeveloped brain.Some juvenile offenders truly understand what the victim family go through and how long it takes them to recover.There were millions of dollars spent to end JLWOP and to set convicted murderers free.

Childhood is a time in which memories are created, adventures are explored and social awareness begins to develop. The events that occur during childhood are pivotal in the development of a healthy and substantial life. However, what if those experiences were taken from a child? What would the outcome be if a child could not experience what it is like to be young? Juvenile incarceration strips a person of their childhood and essentially takes away the experiences necessary for them to develop into healthy functioning adults. Even though juvenile incarceration is an effective method of punishment for those who have committed heinous crimes, the justice system should not convict children and adolescents as adults because of the child 's circumstances that lead to the crime as well as the disastrous effects it causes on the mental and emotional state of the child.

Skip Hollandsworth candidly explores the subjects of juvenile crime and sentencing in the electronic long form newspaper article, “The Prisoner”. The purpose of the essay is to inform the reader about juvenile sentencing and to persuade the audience that there are clear problems with aspects of the U.S. prison system. The article is easily accessible to a large audience because it is online. Hollandsworth takes into account that his audience, mostly consisting of Texas Monthly readers, may already have pre-established notions about the topic, so he considers other sides while still supporting his argument. Edwin Debrow, a preteen member of the Crips, committed a murder when he was 12-years old and received a 27-year sentence through the

“There were three men who hurt me on the first night. They touched me and made me do things…. They came back the next night and hurt me a lot…. There were so many last night. I don’t know how many there were, but they hurt me . . . .” Charlie, a 14 year old boy, confessed reluctantly to Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer and social activist. Charlie was considered a “good kid”, until he shot his mother’s abusive boyfriend, George, a local police officer. After that, he was placed in adult jail. ("How America’s Justice System Failed Our Children"). Although what Charlie did was ruled second-degree murder, what he had to face, and will continue to face from the trauma, from adult jail is arguably worse. This tragedy continues to be the harsh reality of juveniles sent to adult jail. Each year 200,000 youths are tried as adults (Rozzell). Juveniles are put in stressful situations and without the role models they need, they make one poor choice that destroys the rest of their life. Some are held in adult jail awaiting their trial, many of whom committed nonviolent offenses. These incarcerated juveniles, who do not even have a fully developed brain, have their current and future lives destroyed by being tried and held as adults.

“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.

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.

Juvenile delinquency has become a controversial issue within the Criminal Justice system. In the United States, juvenile delinquency refers to disruptive and criminal behavior committed by an individual under the age of 18. In many states, a minor at the age of 16 to 17 ½ can be tried as an adult. Once the individual reaches adulthood, the disruptive and criminal behavior is recognized as a crime. However, the criminal justice system has divided juvenile delinquency into two general types of categories that has brought upon controversial issues of inequality and corruption. Yet, putting young individuals in juvenile detentions facilities seems to open the door for them to commit more crimes in the future. Therefore, under certain circumstances juveniles should be tried as an adult.

Getting transferred into a big adult facility affects the way the teenager develops mentally and physically. Nearly all of the juveniles that get taken in for trial, do not have a fully developed mentality or brain. The mind at this young age is not fully developed which means that the minor will not develop into an adult mind like they should. Teenagers in this environment are five times as likely to get sexually assaulted by another prisoner in an adult prison. Beating is one of the most common injury that happens to these juveniles. Committing suicide among these juveniles in an adult facility is eight times more likely to occur than in a juvenile facility. Punishment this harsh is a failed strategy in trying to change these juvenile’s behaviors and making them have more positive attitudes and beliefs. Juveniles tried as adults puts them in a spot where they are most likely to not get any classes on rehabilitation. The juvenile’s criminal record could contain more weight after they finish their sentence since they were not rehabilitated or around much experience with maturity ("6 facts about crime and the adolescent brain",

The numbers of Juveniles being tried, and convicted as adults within the U.S are beginning to rise drastically. There are many reasons for the sudden increase such as lack of space in juvenile detention centers, and the rise in repeat offenders. This is starting to become a serious issue due to the effects that this act has on kids under the age of 18 no matter the crime at hand. Cambridge Dictionary describes a Juvenile Delinquent as, “a young person, usually under 18, who commits a crime” (Cambridge Dictionary) Many Juveniles are being tried as adults as well as convicted due to the crime committed. Though this is a strong argument as to why they should be allowed to live among adult convicts, the effects that this move can have on juveniles

Gail Garinger, a juvenile court judge, in her article “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences” defends young offenders by saying that because they’re not fully developed or matured, they shouldn’t be treated the same way as adults and should be given a second chance. “Nationwide, 79 young adolescents have been sentenced to die in prison … These children were told that they could never change and that no one cared for what became of them. They were denied access to education and rehabilitation programs and left without help or hope” (Garinger 3).

Juveniles should not be tried and sentenced as adults because their brains are not fully matured thus making the process impossible to undergo the experiences of being tried and sentenced as an adult. The juvenile justice system needs to be revised and start to work towards helping the juveniles find the right path and not setting them up to fail. Some people might say that these adolescents need to just fall silent and do the time in adult prison. The problem is, youth cannot do the same time like an adult would, because they are not adults, no matter how much society would like them to carry themselves as so, they simply cannot. The public should put themselves in the juvenile’s shoes and become aware of all the trauma and abuse the juveniles live through while being tried and sentenced as an adult.

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)

Should juveniles get adult jail sentences? In today's society juvenile offenders are facing the law to full force, in two court systems. Not only are they tried in the juvenile justice system, but also charged as adults. The issue of charging juveniles as adults has stirred various views owing to the violent crimes committed by the young offenders. Politicians comment that the best solution is to lock up juvenile offenders for a long time and ignore rehabilitation. However, prior researches on the topic of juvenile delinquencies suggest that trying young offenders in the adult legal system and putting them in adult prisons will only lead to increased crime, higher costs, and increased violence(John & Jiangmin 568).