Questions On Juvenile And Juvenile Justice System

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

Over 1/3 of the 11,000 index crime arrests were juveniles under the age of 16.

Considering the behaviors of an adolescent in the same manner as that of an adult is unfair. Juvenile brains are still developing, which means that they perform differently than adult brains (AACAP). Adolescents are more likely to act on impulse, get involved in fights, and engage in risky or dangerous behavior. They are less likely to think before they act or consider the consequences of their actions (AACAP). Weighing this scientific fact, it is unfair to assume that a juvenile committed a delinquent act with the same forethought of an adult. The mental development of a juvenile makes it difficult to prove that they established the mens rea equal to that of an adult guilty of the same offense.

He was 14 and 15 when he committed his crimes. Around this age an adolescent begins the phase of puberty and according to Paul Thompson, a researcher at the University of California, has found scientific evidence that helps Kenneth Young’s case. His research claims that teens are not adults in terms of brain development. When puberty initiates, a release of chemicals that causes changes in our body. One noticeable change is how the brain grows. Thompson found changes that make sense, such as language systems growing and mathematical brain systems. However the startling find, was how much gray matter loss occurs during puberty. “Gray matter, which brain researchers believe supports all our thinking and emotions, is purged at a rate of 1 percent to 2 percent a year during this period,” (Thompson 7). This loss in gray matter affects brain cells and connections in areas controlling impulses, risk-taking and self-control. These parts of the brain cause teenagers to make rash actions, violent actions, and regulate our emotions. This evidence does not sit well with victims

Consequently, teenagers are often impetuous and have a difficult time controlling their emotions. However, this does not serve as an excuse for committing crimes with great magnitude such as murder. In The Sacramento Bee, Greg Krikorian published the results of a study conducted by a University of Massachusetts professor in an article titled “Many Kids Called Unfit for Adult Trial.” According to the findings of the study, “performance in reasoning and understanding for youths ages sixteen and seventeen did not differ from those at least eighteen years of age.” (Greg Krikorian 7) Although younger teenagers may not have the same reasoning potential, based on the performed study, sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds, in comparison to adults, have very similar thinking abilities. Thus, the brain development of these teenagers is almost, if not completely, finished. As a result, trying teenagers ages sixteen and up as juveniles is not fair to adult convicts, considering the fact that both groups have the same reasoning abilities. Thus, juveniles ages sixteen and up should be tried as adults. However undeveloped their brains may be, teenagers fully understand the consequences of their

The juvenile court was founded on the belief that juveniles just don't posses the cognitive capacity to fully understand the repercussions of their actions. The juvenile court used to use all its resources to focus on how to rehabilitate juveniles, now all the court proceeding are to establish the legal guilt of a juvenile offender and a small percentage of the legal process establishing adequate punishment. Research on the brain over the last twenty years gives us more knowledge about how children develop and think. Until recently scientists believed the brain was fully developed by age 12. With brain imaging research we now know that this is not true(4 walker). The May 10, 2004 issue of Time Magazine discusses the development of the teen brain in great detail. Dr. Ruben Gur, a professor and director of the Brain Behavior Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania states that impulse control is the last area of the brain to develop and the first to fail as we age(4 walker). Teens do not think like adults due to the lack of impulse control and raging hormones. Hormones fuel emotional responses in teens. Drug use during these formative years damages brain development. How teens spend their time may affect the development of the brain(4 walker). Other research at the National Institute of Mental Health suggests that full

Paul Thompson the author of “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” claims that teenagers must be charged as juveniles, and not adults because their brains are not fully developed.In Thompson's article, he mainly uses logos and hardly any ethos.”These frontal lobes, which inhibit our violent passions, rash actions, and regulate our emotions, are vastly immature throughout the teenage years(7)”In this quotation, Thompson doesn’t mention who or where he found this information so therefore it makes it weak in ethos. It seems like the only time he does use ethos is when it's reported in the news already and he doesn't have anything to back it up.”In terms of cognitive development, as research on the human brain has shown...young teens are far from

Despite the fact that trying juveniles as an adult is a controversial idea, a vast majority of the people support the ideology that trying youth offenders and putting them into adult prisons will not provide the specific support and guidance the youth offenders need. Furthermore, juveniles accused of felonious crimes should not be tried as adults because the adult system is not created to adjust behavior. In order to understand the behavior of a child, psychologist have done in depth research on the brain of an adolescent. They found proof that the brain of a child holds greater differences than one of an adult, which leads them to be held at different standards.

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.

When thinking of reforming the juvenile justice system one has to think; what can we do to make this better for everyone involve? There are some programs that can be implemented when trying to make a change in the juvenile system. The main thing is getting parents or the guardian more involved in the child’s whereabouts. Secondly the community where the youth will have a place to go and have something more constructive to do to keep them out of trouble. Law enforcement can get involved in giving ride along and having visits to the local jails or prisons from the youth to talk to some of the inmates. Crime in life isn’t racist at all it has a no age limit, no certain gender and no social status for most of those whom decide to partake in a criminal activity. From the beginning juveniles have been an issue with law enforcement, the question has always arisen of whom will take control without cruel and unusual punishment and assist with the rehabilitation and prevention future crime actions.

NCSL, 2018, www.ncsl.org/research/civil-and-criminal-justice/juvenile-age-of-jurisdiction-and-transfer-to-adult-court-laws.aspx: Onelia, Mary. “Juveniles Should Be Tried as Adults in Certain Circumstances.” Gale, 2008, ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=OVIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&display-query=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=false&displayGroups=&sortBy=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010327214&source=Bookmark&u=dove10524&jsid=74542a3edc6f6527f03cc30ad9e4603e. Juvenile Justice & the Adolescent Brain.” Center for Law, Brain and Behavior, 24 Mar. 2015,

“Neuroscience and developmental psychology demonstrate that juveniles are developmentally different than adults” (Henry). All children are not as able as adults to make mature decisions because they have higher social impulses and emotional impulses. Children who have killed someone should not be prosecuted as adults. The human brain doesn’t fully develop in adolescents, the law in some states says children under 14 should not be tried as adults, and children have to be at least 18 to make big decisions, such as voting.

The juvenile justice system is similar to the criminal justice system. This system is where juveniles are processed, and may be arrested after referrals for juvenile delinquency. Juvenile justice is very different in every state and can be very similar as well because every system has limited jurisdiction and that most focus on the offenders and not their offenses. Therefore, there are 51 juvenile justice systems in the United States. The United States has the juvenile justice system because children are very different than adults – in that they can be better receptive for change and also being easier to rehabilitate. Moreover, the main goal of the juvenile justice system is rehabilitation (Juvenile Law Center). The juvenile justice system is made up of police, courts, corrections, probation and parole services, as well as community-based programs to name a few (book).

In the Supreme Court decision of whether or not a juvenile should be sentenced to life in prison for committing murder, the ruling was one I can personally agree upon; juveniles will not be sentenced to life in prison due to lack of brain development in the adolescent brain. Research has shown there are extreme differences in the adult brain to the teenage brain. For example, the case of Nathaniel Braill who was charged at 13 years old for murdering one of his teachers, one of his “favorite teachers.” Brazill was not even able to give a reason as to why he did this heinous crime. This is because cognitive development in the teenage brain is far less advanced than in an adults.

A number of researchers have suggested over years that teenage brains are not yet fully developed. At the National Institute of Mental Health researchers have studied the human brain ever since the stage of birth all the way to adulthood, to prove that the brain is not complete. When it comes to this topic, Americans assume that if a teenage commits a crime than they should not be held accountable because of their age. Yet they must consider that teens are capable of understanding the situation they are in, how they are looked upon as young adults,, and how they should learn from their mistakes.