Minor Offenders With Adult Charge Essay

In the United States, “an estimated 7,100 juvenile defendants were charged with felonies in adult criminal court in 1998” ("Juvenile Defendants"). These numbers portray how there were a lot of juveniles being charged. In addition to a large increase in the amount of crime, there was a change in the severity of the crimes that were committed, “the number of violent crimes committed by young people declined substantially from the 1990s to 2003, but then surged again that year, with the estimated number of juvenile murder offenders increasing 30 percent” (Kahn). These numbers show how juveniles were committing more crimes that were serious in the face of the law. These numbers are a brief snippet of

This paper will address the functionality of the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice. First, it will examine the Agency as a whole and then it will explore the individuality of sectors within the agency. Second, the paper will discuss the different ways that the agency survives and serves the community. The South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice plays a vital role in the success of at risk youth and maintaining a secure structure to assist youth that end up in troublesome situations.

The criminal justice system approaches young offenders through unique policies to address the challenges of dealing with juvenile offending. They take special care when dealing with juveniles in order to stop them from repeat offending and stop any potential bad behaviour which could result in future. Juveniles have the highest tendency to rehabilitate and most adopt law-abiding lifestyles as they mature. There are several factors influencing juvenile crime including psychological and social pressures unique to juveniles, which may lead to an increase in juvenile’s risks of contact with the criminal justice system.

While some individuals feel that exposure to an adult sanction will have a negative effect on the health of juveniles, the major crimes committed by these minors are the same as those committed by their surrounding adult inmates. The threat of adult incarceration will also repel juveniles from committing serious crimes. According to Professor Morgan Reynolds from Texas A&M University, “Between 1980 and 1993 juvenile crime rose alarmingly, and as the states toughened their approach during the 1990s, it declined just as steeply” (2005). In addition, incarceration lowers the chances of reoffending (Schneider cited by Reynolds, 2005). Enforcing laws that discourage juveniles from executing major crimes are effective in reducing crime rates and implementing public safety. Also, those that have already committed severe crimes are less likely to reoffend after exposure to adult sanction. Like Christopher Simmons, juveniles are aware of the crimes they are committing, and may even be proud of their actions. Regardless of the motive, teens committing major offenses should be placed in adult sanctions because their actions are no different than adult offenders. The intimidation of adult detention is successful in both deterring juvenile crime, and appropriately holds minors accountable for their severe offenses.

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

Avery D. Niles is the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice. He is over the state that has one of the worst victimization records, as well as the facility that is the worst in the nation. Commissioner Niles expressed his disappointment by way of an official statement given after the findings of the BJS report. Niles stated, “We’re truly concerned to hear these allegations of sexual misconduct from juvenile residents who responded to the survey last year,”

Between 1990 and 2010 the number of juveniles in adult jails went up by nearly 230%. Now about a tenth of confined young people are in an adult prison or jail. Minors shouldn’t be charged as adults, but it does make a little sense.

“I think it's important for us as a society to remember that the youth within juvenile justice systems are, most of the time, youths who simply haven't had the right mentors and supporters around them because of circumstances beyond their control,” (qtd. in Brainy Quotes) are wise words from Q'orianka Kilcher, a human rights activist. Many Americans feel adolescents should be held accountable for their behavior; however, trying them as if they are adults is not always the optimum course of action. Because the teenage brain matures from back to front, the prefrontal cortex is not established until mid-twenties. Ordinarily adolescents can be rehabilitated in order to avert future offending; yet when tried as an adult, all hope for rehabilitation is lost. A one time mistake will follow an adolescent around for the rest of his/her life, dramatically decreasing the opportunities for success. Trying adolescents as adults is an injustice due to their lack of rationality and potential for rehabilitation.

Juvenile delinquency has become a controversial issue within the Criminal Justice system. In the United States, juvenile delinquency refers to disruptive and criminal behavior committed by an individual under the age of 18. In many states, a minor at the age of 16 to 17 ½ can be tried as an adult. Once the individual reaches adulthood, the disruptive and criminal behavior is recognized as a crime. However, the criminal justice system has divided juvenile delinquency into two general types of categories that has brought upon controversial issues of inequality and corruption. Yet, putting young individuals in juvenile detentions facilities seems to open the door for them to commit more crimes in the future. Therefore, under certain circumstances juveniles should be tried as an adult.

Through the court systems in the United States there is a major distribution of probation between the juvenile court system and the adult court system. More than 70,000 juveniles were incarcerated in youth prisons or detention in 2010. Case studies show that more than 500,000 juveniles are taken to confinement centers every year. Not including the juveniles who by pass the detention center and make their way into the adult court system where they are later tried. Juveniles stand out of any prison that they may be asserted to because most acts are created by those younger than the age of 18 those juveniles are allowed to be trialed under the administration of the juvenile court until age 21. Prison is not a place most juveniles while be able to with stand. So the juvenile judges process a variety of different legal options to incorporate both the safety needs of the juvenile while also dealing with the well-being of the community and the rehabilitant needs of the juvenile. In some cases, the state will even pay jails to not allow juveniles to be accepted into their facilities. Juveniles are adequately still labeled as children no matter how grown they may think of themselves as. The mind of a person does not mature appropriately until that person reaches their premature twenties. An Arkansas study documented that juveniles who were formerly imprisoned for a crime were about 15 time more likely to constrain another crime. Probation has been a more efficient route when dealing

Good Morning, I’m Emma Mallory and this is my correspondent, Marlee McCormick. We are unflinchingly in favor of the resolved topic that, “In the United States, juveniles charged with violent felonies ought to be treated as adults in the criminal justice system”. Violent felonies are classified as abusive crimes that include, rape or sexual assault, murder, domestic violence, robbery, and kidnapping. We strongly hold our beliefs that this case justifies the value of human safety. Any person no matter who they are deserves to be safe in any situation. If adolescents are not charged appropriately to match the crimes they have committed, this can threaten the safety of others. Overall, it is prerequisite that juveniles that have offended the law by committing violent felonies, face the consequences as adults.

Many teenagers are being tried and sentenced the same way as adults for crimes, receiving harsher sentences and being put into adult prisons instead of juvenile ones. As far as sentences for juvenile offenders go, the landmark Miller v. Alabama case of 2012 prohibits mandatorily sentencing juvenile offenders to life without parole, saying “mandatory life without parole for all juvenile murderers violates the eighth amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment” (Clark); however, they did not prohibit sentencing juveniles to life without parole altogether. They require that judges first take into account the child’s age and home circumstances before serving the stringent sentence. The United States is currently the only country within the United Nations that serves juveniles life without parole sentences. A few amount of states are attempting to find their way around the ruling, hoping to impose the next harshest punishment outside of the death penalty. Judith Scully says, “The rulings are important. [...] juveniles, even those convicted of the most serious murders, are not necessarily beyond

The Juvenile justice system has undergone many changes since its establishment in the 1890s. These changes were implemented by the desire to have a justice system which is sensitive and responsive to the needs of minors.” Moreover, the juvenile justice system focused on the dynamic behavioral and environmental factors which motivate juveniles to commit a crime. As such, much weight has been given to the fact that minors lack moral and

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.

Since the inception of the juvenile court in 1899, the transfer of an adolescent offender to the adult court was guided by statues throughout the nation that “emphasized reformation in place of retribution” (Schmalleger, 2015, p.547). It was not until the 1990s that the public’s trust in the ability of the juvenile system decreased and it began to demand change to the juvenile justice system due to the concerns about the increase in juvenile crime and the perception that juveniles were becoming more violent, thus leading to the “adultification” of the juvenile criminal justice system. In the 1990s, society’s attitude toward juvenile delinquents became more intolerant developing into this preconceived idea that if a minor can commit serious