Why Do Juveniles Deserve Life In Prison

Whether juveniles should be tried as adults in the justice system or not, has been an ongoing debate for many people. There has been many cases throughout time where people under the age of 18 have been tried as adults in the justice system. Information about this debate can be found in articles, novels, and podcasts. Typically people who are under the age of 18 are identified as a juvenile delinquent and go through different procedures after committing a crime. There is many examples and evidence of why juveniles should not be tried as adults. A juvenile is typically considered a person who is under 18 years of age.

Juveniles should be tried as adults when they commit serious crimes as opposed to rehabilitation or various forms of lesser sentencing. The rate of juveniles in prison has increased over the years. Many young adults and children often seek for attention which leads them to cause trouble out in the streets. There are risk levels that officers have to make in order to help the juveniles or if committing a serious crime, they should pay the consequences. Many may oppose and think that young adults and children are not adults, but they should be punished for the crimes they have done.

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

How would you feel if the police arrested kids all over our country to jail for just crossing the street the wrong way or pushing another kid on the playground? That is what is happening to many underage juvenile all over the United States; they are being sent to adult prisons for crimes that do not deserve such severe punishments. Why they were tried as adults is an enigma and we will explain why this is a terrible injustice. In 1899 children in between the ages of 7-14 were believed they were incapable of committing criminal intent. The court system back then believed that if enough evidence could be gathered to convince a jury, the underage person would be convicted and sent to an adult prison. Currently in our state, persons as

Minors that do serious crimes, like assault or drug trafficking, shouldn’t be charged as adults. Some people say,”Old enough to do the crime, old enough to do the time”,but sending them to an actual adult jail, will make them much more worse, rather then giving them the help they need. According to the Centres for Disease Control, young people who are charged as adults are nearly 35% likelier to be rearrested than those who are tried as juveniles. Minors tried as juveniles are less likely to be rearrested because, they get the help they need. The minors in a juvenile facility receive counseling and other support they need to turn their life around. From The New York Times Upfront magazine, a 17 year old who was charged for attempt of murder was send to a juvenile facility and really turned his life around, having a bachelor’s degree and planning to graduate high school.

The truth of the matter is a "kid", "teens" or however you want to call it; are not a grown ups we aren't given the same rights as grown-ups and majority of the time are ignored because we ar not grown-ups; however when it come to crimes we are most definitely taken into considerations. After considering both sides of the debate on juvenile justice, it is clear that juveniles should not face life without parole for the reason that we aren't taken in consideration most of the time as well as our immaturity.

Juvenile who show remorse for the crimes they commited should not be sentenced life without parole. Some kids commit crimes without realizing the damage they’ve cause, and I don’t think it's fair to be sentenced to life without parole. In the book “Just Mercy” the story of Trina who accidentally set a house on fire that killed two people. She was only fourteen, mentally disabled and sentenced to life in prison without parole for a crime she didn't’ intend to commit. A Lot of the crimes that committed by kids are usually mental illness and bad upbring and they shouldn’t be imprisoned for life without parole.

Kids should not be tried as adults because of the skyrocketing cost it takes to imprison these adolescents. In “The Costs of Confinement: Why Good Juvenile Justice Policies Make Good Fiscal Sense” by the

Should a teenager that murdered his entire family go to prison? How about a kid who rapes his sister and her best friend? Criminal defendants under the age of 18 are sent to juvenile court. In this court, you will not be tried in front of a jury. Instead, the judge will look at the evidence presented and decide on whether or not you have commited the crime.

Juveniles need to be held accountable for their crimes, however, they should not be sent to life in prison. With an increasingly growing amount minors being trialed as adults for heinous crimes, people would ask “why would they commit it?” The answer lies within each juvenile's background, mental health, age, immaturity, and morality. Therefore, it is my belief that juveniles should not be trialed as an adult. Juveniles such as Manny, Shawn, Marquese, and José interviewed in PBS’ “Frontline” were involved in gangs, familial neglect and abuse, or drugging.

Although some people believe that juvenile offenders should be treated like adults and take the same treatment as adults. The sentencing of a juvenile offender should not be tried as an adult, children should not be given the same handling as adults do, adults are different from kids. Adults know how to intake all of the effects of being treated the way they get treated in jail. Children are not capable of the pressure of being treated like adults yet, it also puts a lot of pressure on the juvenile and creates mental breakdowns. This is not right nor fair for children to have to be tried as adults, it is not the same punishments that adults get in jail, it’s more of a harsh and cruel system for adults than for the children to be placed in the facility they are in and get treated like they do.

Did you know that 16% of the crimes committed, were between the ages of 13-15 years old? Kids within that age limit, and any age limit should be tried as adults because they should be aware of what is good and what is not. An estimated 59% percent of the crimes made were under the of 18. That is over half of the crimes committed. That is why they should be tried as adults. In certain states most juveniles have to be 16 years of age to be eligible to be able to sign a adult court waiver. Also in a number of states minors from the ages 13 and above can also be subjected a waiver. However, in order for a minor to be charged as an adult they have to have a partially lengthy record amongst them. Another reason they would end up being tried, would be if the went to rehab and it didn’t work and they did something bad again. Next, laws will be addressed.

There has been a lot of discussion regarding juveniles and incarceration. One of the bigger questions is should juveniles receive life without parole or the death penalty. In my opinion, it depends on the crime and not the age of the suspect at the time of the crime. I believe all murderers should be given life without parole at the very minimum, regardless of the age of the suspect. I understand the law, but I do not necessarily agree with the law regarding punishments and protecting suspects while the victims have to fight for justice. With that being said, I believe in, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

Yes, juveniles deserve life sentences in jail if they decide to commit a violent crime. This is because there is no effective deterrent to force them to think twice. Over the course of time, this has resulted in even more juveniles being arrested for these activities. Evidence of this can be seen with figures provided by the Center for Disease Control. ("Youth Violence," 2010)

Throughout the years i think adolescents are old enough to distinguish right from wrong but I think they are too young to make right decisions. If adults go to jail for killing or making violent crimes than adolescents should definitely face the consequences and serve time. When juveniles are serving their time in jail and getting rehabilitation and they accept the fact that they did wrong and have overcome their mistakes I think that they should get a second chance.