Slender Man Case

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

In the article “Kids are Kids- Until They Commit Crimes” Marjie Lundstrom states “Hey they’re only kids, that is until they foul up. Until they commit crimes. And the bigger the crime, the more eager we are to call them adults.” If teens seem to commit the same crimes as adults, they shouldn’t get less time. A child should be tried as an adult because a crime is a crime no matter who commits it. … Teens that

Juveniles are being treated as adults when it comes to crimes, and are receiving higher sentences than adults. Furthermore, juveniles do not fully understand the consequences of their actions. Juvenile’s brains are not fully developed and experience loss in gray matter. According to the article Startling Find on Teenage Brains by Paul Thompson, he states, “gray matter, which brain researchers believe supports all of our thinking and emotions, is purged at a rate of 1 percent to 2 percent a year during this period” (Thompson). Gray matter makes up of people’s critical thinking and awareness. Juveniles are losing gray matter and are therefore forgetting the consequences of their actions. In addition, juveniles are coddled way too much by their parents and grow up without any discipline. Why is it that juveniles are segregated from adults in society in every aspect except when it comes to crimes? Juveniles do not deserve to be tried as adults when they commit heinous crimes because it is not constitutionally correct and

Research studies have been conducted to demonstrate that adolescent brains are without full adult potential thus, adolescents should not be charged with adult sentences for crimes committed under the age of 18. Several doctors note that the under development of the brain, though it does not excuse criminal behavior, should not result in a life sentence or any other irreversible or extreme punishment (Beckman, 2004, p. 1). Beckman (2004) also states that “eight medical and mental health organizations, including the American Medical Association cite a sheaf of developmental

Many have discussed and argued if Juveniles should be charged as adults. Then there's others that believe that they shouldn't be charged as adults. However, juveniles should be tried as adults because they committed a crime in which they must pay for which they also knew it is wrong. They should be tried should depend on what age they are and what fractions have they encountered like rape, abuse, etc. If a 5 year old were to be playing with another kid and perhaps that 5 year old kills the child they have absolutely no idea of what they have done they are far too young to understand what they are doing or have done. Most of the time you have to take care of children because they are putting items in their mouth that they don’t know what it

Everyone, especially in matters of serious crimes, should get the Justice they deserve. In a juvenile court, the sentences will be less stringent because of someone's age. An example is given on the website https://flowpsychology.com/10-pros-and-cons-of-juveniles-being-tried-as-adults/, “In 2006 a 12-year-old girl killed her entire family for not approving of her boyfriend. She was only given 10 years.” Juvenile courts are not allowed to deliver the death penalty. In a situation where the death penalty would

Approximately two million adolescents a year are arrested and out of that two million, 60,000 of them are incarcerated according to the American Journal of Public Health. The 60,000 incarcerated adolescents each year are being tried as adults in court because of the serious crimes they have committed. The crimes they have committed are anything from armed robbery to murder. Some juveniles might be first time offenders and others might be repeat offenders. Crimes have always been a major issue in the United States and can cause controversy in the criminal justice system. Charging a minor as an adult in criminal court varies from state to state based on each state’s jurisdiction. Some states consider anyone up to the age of 18 still a juvenile and would not be charged as an adult in criminal court, but other states may charge a juvenile as an adult at the age of 16 or 17. Jordan (2014) states, “Although states already had methods for transferring youth to the adult system, as a result of the growing fear of juvenile violence, most states implemented new laws to increase the number of youth entering the adult criminal system’ (Bernard & Kurlychek, 2010; Torbet et al., 1996)” (p. 315). While it sounds beneficial to incarcerate more adolescents in the adult criminal justice system to avoid juveniles from committing crimes in the future, that is not always the case. Incarcerating these juveniles can be life changing in a negative

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

America’s criminal justice system is on the right path when it pertains to juveniles. Minors are a special case and should be treated as such in the justice system. Every child differs on a case by case basis, but parents usually have more control over their children’s lives than the child does. I do not believe either minor should be sentenced to jail time or charged as adults in the Slenderman case because they were not responsible for their actions. Considering their backgrounds, I do not believe Morgan Geyser or Anissa Weier would voluntarily kill a classmate to be with Slenderman had a sound mind. Our juvenile justice system is attempting to make an example of these girls and it is a mistake. This paper would be different if Payton Leutner

Many serious crimes are committed daily and some by juveniles under 18. When serious crimes are committed these juveniles get tried as adults and receive adult sentencings. Many people argue that such juveniles should not be tried as adults because they are just kids and are still developing. In my opinion, I agree that juveniles should not be tried as adults, however I also believe they should receive adult sentencings but to a lesser degree, because they are not yet fully developed, they have potential to change, and it is not fair that they are underage but are being tried as adults.

Knowledge deters youth from committing offenses because youth will not want to be tried in the adult justice system. However, this should not happen because teenagers are not equipped to handle situations in the same methods at adults. According to the Juvenile Justice Center “The evidence now is strong that the brain does not cease to mature until the early 20’s in those relevant parts that govern impulsivity, judgment, planning, for the future, foresight, of consequences, and other characteristics, that make people morally culpable.” Juveniles cannot process or plan a crime in the same manner as an adult. The teenage brain is undergoing tremendous amount of growth in its ability to reason, make decisions and delay gratification. The teenage brain cannot be held responsible for actions like an adult

Juveniles can be tried as adults for crimes ranging from kidnapping, murder, rape, arson, robbery, torture, assault, and more. Some of the cases that are sent to adult court are petty crimes, such as: underage drinking, possession of a controlled substance, and other minor crimes. The question is whether they should be tried as adults. These are all adult actions, on one hand, and may lead a person to wonder what brought a child to commit these crimes. One might further inspect that if a child or teenager is engaged in so-called “adult” activities, what kind of activities might a child choose to be involved in adulthood? What is the child’s background? Can you blame the child of a heroin addict for having access to drugs at a young age? Can you blame the child of a murderer for acting out? Yes, everyone has a choice even a child.

In my own opinion, I consider juveniles as immature because they lack the ability to recognize the long term impact of their actions as they have decreased levels of responsibility. Therefore, the justice system should not charge juveniles in adult legal system and sentence them as adults.Trying juveniles as adults exposes the young offenders to state penitentiaries up to life in prison without parole and even sentenced to death. This raises a question on how truly effective treating juveniles as adults are to the young offenders. As the crimes committed by juveniles increase, there has been an outcry from the public and affected to prosecute juveniles accused of serious crimes as adults. It is true that juveniles do

Many young adolescents who have committed horrendous crimes have been a huge topic amongst the Supreme Court. Whether young adolescents are viewed as innocent, naive children to the public, this not changed the fact they can commit brutal crimes. In spite of the fact that adolescents have committed brutal crimes such as murder, one needs to understand that their brains are not as fully developed as an adult brain would be. Adolescents should not be trialed to a life sentence or attend adult prisons; however, they should be punished for their actions and undergo rehabilitation programs to help them be prepared to fit in with the rest of society.

Over the years more and more teens are being tried as adults for crimes they commit. Are the punishments really necessary or is it going to