preview

Should Young Offenders Be Tried As Adults

Good Essays

Are young offenders truly capable of understanding the consequences that their actions might cause? Sometimes the crimes that juveniles commit are horrendous, but does that mean they are no longer a child anymore? There are ways to investigate a child mental development. However, we must ask questions like how is the child raise? Who are their guardians? Is there any structure in their home? Is there any neglect and abuse? These questions can help us understand the history and upbringing to configure the state of mind of the child. When these question are answered we find out majority of the young offenders come from dysfunctional families, where there is no type of structure in their home. However, juvenile offenders should not be tried as adults because they have not fully matured and such as they will suffer physical and psychological damage. Young offender’s brains are not fully developed yet until they reach their mid-twenties. Scientist has identified the region of the brain that is called the amygdala which is responsible for instinctual reactions including fear and aggressive behavior. (AACAP) The frontal cortex is the area of the brain that controls reasoning and help us think before we act, this develops later. (AACAP) …show more content…

(Lamm, 2009) Such as voting, serving on juries, and purchasing alcohol. (Lamm, 2009) These laws recognize that children do not have the emotional or maturity level like adults do for good judgment and certain decisions. (Lamm, 2009) Such laws were put in place both to protect children and for the food of the citizenry as a whole. (Lamm, 2009) Vice versa, laws should protect children who make impulsive, criminal decisions from being exposed to irreversible life sentences. (Lamm, 2009) According to the American Medical Association, adolescents as a group are prone to engage in risky, impulsive and sensation-seeking behavior. (Lamm,

Get Access