Should Juveniles Be Sentenced As Adults?

Today’s heated debate regarding the decision to try juveniles as adults has prompted individuals to construct opinionated and informational articles on the topic. The nation’s troubled youth are protected by groups that believe these offenders deserve rehabilitation and a chance to develop into a productive member of society. However, others believe that those committing certain heinous crimes should be tried as adults as a means to protect public safety, prevent second offenders, and “dispense justice in the form of punishment” (Aliprandini & Michael, 2016). Because these perspectives offer a reasonable and valid argument, juveniles responsible for major crimes

Whether Brandon Moore should be sentenced for life due to crimes he committed at age of fifteen, or receive a chance to parole.

Jury duty is one of the many obligations subjected on the adults within the American population. It is our social contract to uphold the responsibility of making the unbiased decision of finding someone innocent or guilty. Yet, would your decision on the punishment be altered based on the defendant’s age. The truth of the matter is cases like these are very common and poises a difficult decision for any party involved. Is that evil that lurks within the child’s eyes or ignorance of the value of life? So many question come to mind, but the most prominent question is how accountable is minor for crimes even as heinous as murder? The issue of whether minors should be tried as adults is a groundbreaking issues that consist of many different

Court systems are left with difficult decisions. A controversial decision courts are faced with today is whether or not juveniles are to be tried as adults. The increasing number of incarcerated children in adult jails raises questions as to why. Adolescents sentenced to prison are more likely to be abused, commit suicide, or reoffend, thus committing more serious offenses. The statutes requiring juveniles to enter adult prisons are inhumane and in-just. Nevertheless, sentencing children to adult prisons continues regularly today. When adolescents commit crimes, they should be tried as juveniles rather than adults.

Sara Kruzan was sixteen years old when she shot and killed thirty-six year old George Gilbert Howard (Sara). She was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in adult prison without the possibility of parole. Sara was the victim of sex trafficking and George Gilbert Howard was her long time pimp and sexual abuser. However, this information was not taken into consideration when her fate was decided. Sara, just like hundreds of other juveniles, was unfairly sentenced to adult prison. Her horrific story shows how the Department of Justice has failed juveniles time and time again. The United States Department of Justice has failed to acknowledge extensive scientific research that proves the distinct psychological differences between juvenile and adult minds

There has been a lot of discussion regarding juveniles and incarceration. One of the bigger questions is should juveniles receive life without parole or the death penalty. In my opinion, it depends on the crime and not the age of the suspect at the time of the crime. I believe all murderers should be given life without parole at the very minimum, regardless of the age of the suspect. I understand the law, but I do not necessarily agree with the law regarding punishments and protecting suspects while the victims have to fight for justice. With that being said, I believe in, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

Should juveniles be tried as adults? In my opinion I think they should because when you turn a certain age, you gain certain privileges. “You achieve certain rewards such as voting rights, the ability to purchase a house, the ability to purchase tobacco products at the local gas station, but most importantly the ability to be held responsible for your actions. When you turn 18 a whole other world opens for you, and that’s because an 18-year-old is considered an adult in nearly every state, which is a big deal for most teens. What most 18-year olds are not so happy about is the fact that they are no longer being tried for crimes in juvenile courts or treated as irresponsibly as when they were 17, 16, or 15. But even those young ages before

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.

Yes, juveniles deserve life sentences in jail if they decide to commit a violent crime. This is because there is no effective deterrent to force them to think twice. Over the course of time, this has resulted in even more juveniles being arrested for these activities. Evidence of this can be seen with figures provided by the Center for Disease Control. ("Youth Violence," 2010)

Youth is defined as the period between childhood and maturity; an adolescent who have not fully developed. An adult is a person who is fully developed and is mature. Juveniles should not be tried as an adult because they are too young. Even though, some children believe that they are grown and can make their own decisions, they still are young.

Over the recent years, more and more criminals are being set loose because of space running low in prisons and the budget. The government targets criminals that are serving short, lenient charges. Most of these criminals are juveniles who were given a second chance to live a healthy, positive life away from violence and nonsense. What happens to the victims who find out that the person who killed their daughter or son has been given this chance? At least when the suspect was behind bars there was a sense of closure. Now, a family will not rest knowing that there is a criminal walking the streets of where there daughter or son once walked too. Minors should be accountable for their actions and be tried as adults because everyone is equal under

Imagine sitting in a courtroom, hoping the the judge will not give a harsh sentence. Unfortunately, that’s the case for many juveniles, some as young as 13! A juvenile is subject to a more severe sentence with the limited sentencing available. It is estimated that 250,000 youth are prosecuted as adults, each year. This number should change, as juveniles are not adults, both mentally and physically. Juveniles need an environment surrounded with guiding adults, education and the resources to help them. A juvenile is not an adult, and should not be tried as one.

Every person in life has their own opinion and juvenile crimes are not an exemption to that. Those that are against in make their case known. Statistics show a child between the age of 9 to 10 cannot fully understand the consequences of committing a crime and are therefore cannot be tried as an adult who is fully developed as a person. Children process information differently than adults. For example, when an adult sees a piece of candy on the ground they try not to step on it, but when a kid sees candy on the ground their first thought is “oh candy’. Infections, germs, diseases, and viruses are all possible from that candy, but a child does not take the consequences into the equation. They want what they want. The question of should juveniles be tried as adults says they against it because they can not see long term. The

Should people less than eighteen years old (minors/juveniles/adolescents) ever be tried and sentenced as adults?

The issue of whether juveniles should be prosecuted like adults is a controversial one. Today, a high percent of juvenile offenders have a past criminal history or have been arrested for violent crimes such as rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and homicide. These offenses are serious and should be dealt with seriously. If a juvenile choses to act in violence and currently been on probation for such acts, then perhaps, they should be treated in the adult court. If the juvenile is, a repeat offender and they did not learn anything from the rehabilitation facilities provided by the state, harsh consequences should follow. It is estimated that seventy-five percent of adolescents who spent time in juvenile detention centers are incarcerated