The Pros And Cons Of Juvenile Crimes

75% of youth in correctional facilities for delinquency are not in for a serious violent felony crime (Ross). Many minors in such facilities are held because their families cannot take care of them. Drug use, often stemming from the parents, is prevalent in teens detained in juvenile detention. Additionally, teen pregnancy and sexual abuse are common among the incarcerated young adults. Most of them have some level of a psychiatric disorder, however, a small percentage of them actually receive treatment. An unhealthy home environment, drug addiction, and mental trauma all contribute to the cycle of juvenile detention. In fact, 66% of youth who have been arrested will become repeat offenders within 24 months (“21 Juvenile Repeat Offenders

In the United States of America today when a person has been committed of a crime they are trialed through a system to conclude if they are guilty as well as determine their best fit punishment of due to the crime. From what most people know when an adult is put through this process they have the right to a quick and speedy trial with a jury to determine if they are guilty and they are given their punishment. However, within our system the process of punishment and sentencing is significantly different if the defendant of the crime is under the age of 18, if they are under 18 they are legally considered a child and are not put through the same system and punishment with which adult are. They are but through what we call a juvenile court system.

Juvenile courts appear to be very lenient with dealing with crimes these young juveniles commit. If juvenile courts do not want to properly deal with the juvenile crimes then adult courts should be more effective. In this process it would allow these juveniles to learn about how severe their actions are and what it can bring for their future. In the article, “Some Juvenile Offenders Should Be Treated as Adults” states, “Juvenile courts faced another challenge in the late 1980s and early 1990s: rising juvenile murder rates that led to greater public concern over the effectiveness of the juvenile courts” (Stobla, 2004). Just from this piece of evidence the juvenile courts are not doing what they need to do because the fact that juvenile murder is rising should prove that they need to be punished more severely. These juveniles need to be charged as adults to limit the killings. In the same article, it states, “In eighteen century…At the time, the law considered children under the age of seven as lacking full moral capacity and incapable of giving consent” (Stobla, 2004). Now yes certain juveniles under a certain age like seven do not quite understand the full difference of right and wrong. That does not excuse juveniles who are the ages of twelve to seventeen. Yes, they still may be young, but they should understand the concept that

Over 1/3 of the 11,000 index crime arrests were juveniles under the age of 16.

Skip Hollandsworth candidly explores the subjects of juvenile crime and sentencing in the electronic long form newspaper article, “The Prisoner”. The purpose of the essay is to inform the reader about juvenile sentencing and to persuade the audience that there are clear problems with aspects of the U.S. prison system. The article is easily accessible to a large audience because it is online. Hollandsworth takes into account that his audience, mostly consisting of Texas Monthly readers, may already have pre-established notions about the topic, so he considers other sides while still supporting his argument. Edwin Debrow, a preteen member of the Crips, committed a murder when he was 12-years old and received a 27-year sentence through the

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

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.

These individual rights must be effectively balanced against these present and emerging community concerns: Widespread drug abuse among youth The threat of juvenile crime Urban gang violence High-technology, computer, and Internet crime (cybercrime) Terrorism and narcoterrorism Occupational and whitecollar crime

Most of the time, the system has proven itself to be unsuccessful in dealing with juvenile crimeMost often, the system is unsuccessful. “There are kids who are five times more likely to be raped or otherwise sexually assaulted in adult prisons than in juvenile facilities. The risk of suicide is likewise much higher for juveniles in adult jails.”(How to reduce crime Pg 3). When juveniles are sent to jail, they are still relatively impressionable from people in the prison, and may go back into crime after they’re released, hindering rehabilitation and just creating another violent criminal in the world. The court sentencing the criminal is also at

Ethos is a rhetorical device authors use to establish their credibility to speak authoritatively on a topic. To strengthen their arguments, they also use logos, or logical arguments and scientific data, and pathos to create an emotional reaction in the audience. In the ERWC Juvenile Justice unit, four different authors, with four different levels of ethos, discuss whether or not juveniles who have been charged with murder should be tried as adults in the adult court system. Most argue that minors should be tried in the juvenile court system, while one demands that adolescents who massacre innocent victims spend the rest of their lives in prison. After closely reading each author’s opinion, it is clear that Paul Thompson has the most ethos in this unresolved debate while Jennifer Jenkins has the least. (132)

In relation to juveniles receiving consecutive life sentences for separate crimes within a criminal episode without the access to parole would be found unconstitutional for countless reasons. To explain, it is important to look at three strong cases, Roper v. Simmons, Miller v. Alabama, and Graham v. Florida. Each of these cases presents a logical concept that is reasonable for this proposition. The sentencing of a juvenile to this long of a sentence without parole is severely cruel and unusual and would be in violation of the Eighth Amendment right (Roper v. Simmons, n.d.).

VJuvenile housed in Adult Prisons and Jails since 1992 and 45 States have passed on amended legislation making it easier to prosecute juveniles as andults(Nancy E. Gist Director Bureau of Justice Assistance)pg4. The trend of juveniles confinement can be measured by the number of offenders admitted into the facility or system. The most recent data and information provided was 14,500 juveniles were estimated aged to be housed in adult corrections. Some where still housed in public and private facilities and that made it a total of 107,000 youth incarcerated at Adult Corrections. Due to them being young they are at a much greater risk of harm than those housed in a juvenile facility. The idea that juveniles within the criminal justice system is itself flawed.Due to the fact that to act as though a juvenile delinquent is in the same mind as a adult offender, is to say they share in mind and matureness. The youth must be treated fairly , not punished, and the judge should act as a wise and kind parent. That can express that youth may commit crimes, but they are still in the growth and development stages in their lives for molding and changes to take place. In the process of sending juveniles offender into an adult facility leave the notion that the justice system has the best interest of the community, for where, the juvenile would be cared for and the issue of criminal activity would be addressed and treated. The juvenile is now an adult system surrounded by criminals who have

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.

According to the text, the societal view regarding, “juveniles are not found ‘guilty’ of committing crimes (cripe, pg. ). The term “guilty” connote criminality. Based on the English legal system, children do not have the mental capacity to commit crime, therefore are not responsible for their acts. As a result, juveniles are treated under special rules that are designed for their protection. Juveniles are processed in special court which is not open to the public. Additionally, juvenile records are sealed from the public scrutiny. In society views, juvenile are incapable to protect themselves because they are not mature enough, as a result, it is up to the government to act as their protector.

In Miller v. Alabama (2012), the United States Supreme Court determined that mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole is unconstitutional to juvenile offenders. This decision is agreeable upon because adolescents do not receive the opportunity to reform themselves. As the Court suggests, life in prison violates the Eighth Amendment, which accounts for a ban on cruel and unusual punishment. However, juveniles still must be held accountable for their actions and should be sentenced to a fair verdict according to their crime, whether they are an adult or not.