Pros And Cons Of Juveniles

Life without parole is a waste of life. Juveniles have been sentenced to life without parole. Juveniles are never given second chances. I believe that rehabilitation is necessary it gives hope to them. In juveniles Don't deserve life by Gail garinger she states ¨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 what became of them¨. In on punishment and teen killer by jenifer jenkins she states ¨The juvenile death penalty was abolished here years ago and a life sentence still allows a great deal of good living to be done even from behind bars¨. After considering both sides

75% of youth in correctional facilities for delinquency are not in for a serious violent felony crime (Ross). Many minors in such facilities are held because their families cannot take care of them. Drug use, often stemming from the parents, is prevalent in teens detained in juvenile detention. Additionally, teen pregnancy and sexual abuse are common among the incarcerated young adults. Most of them have some level of a psychiatric disorder, however, a small percentage of them actually receive treatment. An unhealthy home environment, drug addiction, and mental trauma all contribute to the cycle of juvenile detention. In fact, 66% of youth who have been arrested will become repeat offenders within 24 months (“21 Juvenile Repeat Offenders

In the United States of America today when a person has been committed of a crime they are trialed through a system to conclude if they are guilty as well as determine their best fit punishment of due to the crime. From what most people know when an adult is put through this process they have the right to a quick and speedy trial with a jury to determine if they are guilty and they are given their punishment. However, within our system the process of punishment and sentencing is significantly different if the defendant of the crime is under the age of 18, if they are under 18 they are legally considered a child and are not put through the same system and punishment with which adult are. They are but through what we call a juvenile court system.

Cristian’s mother, Biannela Susana, had left him and his two year old half brother, David, home alone. In the article “Cristian Fernandez,13-year-old Fla. boy, faces life in prison for allegedly murdering his 2-year-old half-brother” by Crimesider Staff states, “the toddler had a fractured skull, bruising to his left eye and a bleeding brain”(Staff) which indicated that Cristian had harmed/ beated his baby brother. Cristian had a rough childhood. His mother was only 12 when she had him, his “grandmother was taking care of him was holded up with cocaine in a motel room”(Staff), he was beaten by his stepfather, and sexually assaulted by a cousin. So he didn't have anyone. He was alone in this big world with no one to protect him or look after him. It was inevitable for him to kill someone. Cristian should be charged as an adult since he did murder a two year old however, he was emotionally and physically hurt and abused which must have played a factor him to kill his brother. Therefore, he shouldn't get life in prison but he should serve time. The article also illustrates that before the murder of David, Cristian had previously broke the 2 year-old's leg while wrestling. This should have set an alarm to the mother and keep an eye on both of them. The article states, “Cristian denied any plans or intent to kill his brother...a ‘flashback’ of the abuse by his stepfather as the motive for this

Juveniles should be tried as adults because they only serve a few years in prison, they deserve a harsher punishment, and they are committing crimes at a younger age.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 10,000 juveniles are confined in adult prisons and jails rather than in juvenile facilities that were built for them. Josh Rovner reports in his article “Juvenile Life Without Parole: An Overview” that 2,100 child offenders are serving life in prison without the possibility of parole before the age of 18. In 26 states, a life without parole sentence is mandatory for first degree murder – regardless of age. Juveniles housed in adult prisons face a disturbing number of dangers such as physical as well as sexual abuse, assault, and high rates of suicide. While juveniles should be held accountable for their actions, they should not be prosecuted as adults because they are incapable of exercising the same judgement and maturity as an adult, housing them in adult facilities leaves them vulnerable to their surroundings, limits their educational growth and giving out a harsh sentence will not rehabilitate them nor deter other juvenile crime.

According to “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences” by Gail Garinger, that it made it easier for the jury to sentence adolescent easier with life without parole, the justice system is making it more difficult for the young people to be punished. In some cases this juveniles are poorly treated and the hopes of adolescent were taken away by telling them bullying them by making them feel life they could not ever change and nobody is willing to help them, this juveniles are also have been denied access to

Adults, on the other hand, are fully developed and fully conscience of their actions and the consequences that follow. However, because teen brains are not fully developed, this allows their brains to grow and learn from mistakes and experiences. In the article, “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences”, author Gail Garinger talks about her first hand experience with juveniles in the justice system. She has seen the potential for them to grow and change over the years, and how being tried as adults and serving life sentences has had severe impacts on many. Gail believe adult prison is not the place for a teen. Placing juveniles in adult prison substantially inhibits their potential for

The question of whether or not juveniles have the knowledge or maturity to waive or exercise their rights comes to be very controversial in situations of juvenile interrogations. There is a discrepancy between whether juveniles should be responsible enough to exercise their rights or if they are immature, vulnerable, and all together incapable of understanding the rights they are granted. Many people believe that juveniles should have a parent present during interrogations to guide them through their rights while others believe that juveniles who commit crimes should be held equally as responsible for their actions as adults.

Juvenile who show remorse for the crimes they commited should not be sentenced life without parole. Some kids commit crimes without realizing the damage they’ve cause, and I don’t think it's fair to be sentenced to life without parole. In the book “Just Mercy” the story of Trina who accidentally set a house on fire that killed two people. She was only fourteen, mentally disabled and sentenced to life in prison without parole for a crime she didn't’ intend to commit. A Lot of the crimes that committed by kids are usually mental illness and bad upbring and they shouldn’t be imprisoned for life without parole.

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

It is my opinion that youthful offenders should not be sentenced to life without parole (LWOP) because according the APA the adolescent brain is not fully developed making them less culpable for their crimes; as their brains are still developing into late adolescence this poses two potential ways to differentiate them from their adult counterparts (a) it is difficult to predict recidivism as their brains are growing and changing, this makes “recidivism the exception not the rule” and (b) as their brains do develop they may be more amenable to treatment. Finally, while research is limited, there are some notable findings within case law in regards to how the traditional considerations for sentencing (deterrence, retribution, incarceration,

Blended sentencing laws—which give courts discretion in some cases to impose juvenile and/or adult sentences on young offenders—became popular during the 1990s as a means of broadening the spectrum of available sanctions. These laws variously allow courts to impose:

Teens should not be able to receive a sentence to life imprisonment without chance of parole. “In many states, 13 and 14-year-olds are subjected to the harshest possible prison sentence despite widespread acknowledgement by experts, parents, teachers, doctors, and courts that children tend to be incapable of making mature choices, that they are vulnerable to negative influences and peer pressure, and that they are powerless to protect themselves from dysfunctional and dangerous home environments” (Cohen). Most teens are not fully matured until they are adults, so they will sometimes commit crimes that they wouldn’t commit later in their life. If they are sentenced to a life without parole when they are a teen, they will never get a chance to

In Miller v. Alabama (2012), the United States Supreme Court determined that mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole is unconstitutional to juvenile offenders. This decision is agreeable upon because adolescents do not receive the opportunity to reform themselves. As the Court suggests, life in prison violates the Eighth Amendment, which accounts for a ban on cruel and unusual punishment. However, juveniles still must be held accountable for their actions and should be sentenced to a fair verdict according to their crime, whether they are an adult or not.