Teens Committing Violent Crimes

In the article “ On Punishment And Teen Killers” by Jennifer Jenkins talks about how Teens or anyone in general are getting access to any time of weapons. Most teen murder people with a weapon such as a gun and some of them don’t even get charged as an adult for murdering someone because either they are way too young or because their brain isn’t fully develop as an adult. In the article “ On Punishment And Teen Killers” it states that “ We in America have to own this particular problem, with weapons so easily available to our youth, and the violence-loving culture in which we raise them. Teens are being tried adults and sentenced to prison for murder at alarming rates in the United States. But this actually disproves juvenile advocates’ reliance on the underdeveloped brain argument” (Jenkins 91).

One of the most controversial questions in the juvenile justice system today is, "Should the death penalty be applied to juveniles?”. A lot of people think that the death penalty for juveniles is cruel and unusual punishment and should only be used for adults. The crimes that juveniles commit are as dangerous and as violent as adult crimes. People argue that the adolescent brain does not mature until the late teens or early twenties, and that death penalty should not be the resolution. Some studies show that childhood abuse or neglect can causes the child to commit crimes when they grow to adulthood. Debate about the use of the death penalty for juveniles has grown more intense because of the crimes they are

In the article “On Punishment and Teen Killers” by Jennifer Jenkins asserts that teens are becoming more violent and starting commit more crimes because of the national television they watch.Jenkins tells the reader about “JLWOP” (Juvenile Life Without Parole) and how kids are being sentenced to life in prison without parole.Some people are trying to advocate to minimize the offender culpability because of their age.While kids are getting sentenced to life without parole, this disproves juvenile advocates reliance on the undeveloped brain.Some juvenile offenders truly understand what the victim family go through and how long it takes them to recover.There were millions of dollars spent to end JLWOP and to set convicted murderers free.

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

In August of 2004, Robert Acuna was sentenced to the death penalty. His crime? Shooting his two elderly neighbors, James and Joyce Carroll, "execution style" and then proceeding to steal their car (Liptak). This heinous crime only adds to the current debate: should juveniles be sentenced as adults? The answer is yes, there should be no leniency displayed towards minors who commit the same serious crimes as adults. Although young, juveniles should be capable of understanding the serious extent of the crime they commit. Sentencing juveniles as adults will prevent perpetrators of major crimes, such as mass murder, from walking free. Furthermore, judges have enough experience to know whether to try a minor as an adult or not. Juvenile sentencing as adults is not a wrong but rather a form of justice in the face of rising teen violence.

Murder is always a devastating sight, juveniles who commit homicides is another story. Sentencing a juvenile to life without parole isn’t the best punishment for a child that is developing in life. Juveniles are full of built up steam and emotions, they aren't comprehensive with the actions they take.

and why they should not be tried as adults in the justice system. It also shows the actual differences in the brain of a juvenile and the brain of an adult. In an article in the New York Times called, “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences” Gail Garinger explains why juveniles and adults are different. He states, “Young people are biologically different from adults. Brain imaging studies reveal that the regions of the adolescent brain responsible for controlling thoughts, actions and emotions are not yet fully developed.” (Garinger 93). I do not believe it is fair to treat a teenager the same as an adult knowing teenagers brains are not yet fully developed and do not possess the same level of neurotic connections. In some ways it is like expecting a child with down syndrome to act and behave the same as a normal child of the same age.

One juvenile justice author, Gail Garinger agrees that minors don't deserve on life sentences,cannot be treated in an adult- Justice system, and their minds aren't fully developed compared to an adult’s. Garinger importantly states that “Young people are biologically different from adults. Brain imaging studies reveal that the regions of the adolescent brain responsible for controlling thoughts, actions and emotions are not fully developed.” I agree on Garinger’s statement on comparing a minor’s brain to an adult’s. Due to a minor’s immaturity and lack of irresponsibility are one of the major factors that lead minors to commit terrible mistakes. Thier brain is still in process of development until they reach adulthood which also proven by science. Garinger also states they are, “less mature, more vulnerable to peer pressure, cannot escape from dangerous environments and their characters are still in formation.” The environment plays a huge role on how the minor’s behavior and thoughts can lead to the choices they

Many young children in United States are imperiled by abuse, domestic and community violence, and poverty. Without help, these children suffer, struggle, and fall into despair and hopelessness. Usually minors cannot manage emotional, social, and psychological challenges of adolescence and eventually engage in destructive and violent behavior. Today, juveniles are lucky enough that death penalty was abolished and said to be and cruel and unusual punishment by the Supreme Court. However, juveniles who commit murder can be put in a prison for life without a possibility of a parole.

Throughout time, society has seen its fair share of crime from miniscule crimes to the most serious types of offenses like murder and rape. Violence can come from all shape and sizes from women, men, children, mentally ill, etc. An increasing problem in recent decades include juvenile violence. Juveniles can commit violence for an infinite amount of reasons like parental abuse, being bullied in school or peers, mental illness, and other outside factors. Juvenile are in a period in their lives where countless aspects can influence the way they think, act, and even speak. Criminological theories have been created and tested to factor why juveniles partake in crime and why do they tend to be influenced to continuously break the law. Theories

In today’s society, it would be assumptive that the juvenile justice system would take the necessary precautions to preserve and or rehabilitate the juveniles that are present in its system. With this in mind adolescents still, face sentencing of life without the possibility of parole and trials transferred to adult court. When you think of adolescence, the term development or puberty may come to mind. Teens or pre- teens are still in developmental stages of their lives and tend not to think or act on the level that an adult would. Juvenile justice focuses on the mere ideal that juveniles are not adults and should not be treated or tried as such. Heinous crimes, such as murder, could possibly draw a wedge between this thought. Taking the life

Regardless of age, a killer is a killer. A killer can be the daily customer you have at your job or the child you’re babysitting. “The Supreme Court justices would be wise as well as compassionate to strike a balance: Make juvenile offenders responsible for their actions but don't completely rob them of hope. And this should apply not only to the inmates who were 14 at the time of their crimes but to the remaining 2,497 who were 15 to 18 years old,” (Ellison 19). Kids make mistakes all the time, that doesn’t mean we should take their life away from them. With overlooking the listed factors in court when sentencing a juvenile, this will improve the number of children in prisons. Not all of these children partake in the act because of evil, but merely because of

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.

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.

Teenagers in this age group do kill others, old and young alike. The rate at which juveniles were arrested for murder rose 177 percent between 1978 and 1993 (NBER.org). This shows that there is a need for stopping or at least slowing this trend in homicidal acts. Statistics clearly show that juviniles between the ages of 14 and 17 during the years of 1976 to 1994 are increasing in numbers