Why John's Age Should Not Be Charged As Adults

There are times juveniles should not be convicted as adults because sometimes the “crimes” may not harsh enough to be charged as an adult. For example, if a 8 year old saw a gun in their mother's purse and thought it was a toy and grabbed it and began to shoot who would be at fault ? Plus children in adult prisons are 10 times more likely to be taken advantage of in their time. Research shows that children prosecuted in the adult criminal justice system are more likely to reoffend than those held in the juvenile justice

In the film 15 to Life: Kenneth’s Story by Nadine Pequeneza the account of Kenneth Young appealing his sentence of four life terms without the possibility of parole is detailed. Young was only 15 years-old when he was charged as an adult for armed robbery and sentenced to life behind bars. Why is it okay for the justice system to charge adolescents as adults? As a nation we can’t logically expect children to be held to the same standards as adults and do so only when criminal courts deem it fit. Charging children as adults for any crime is not only a far cry from being a deterrent but it is also fails to provide justice for all of the individuals involved.

Children in adult prison are in severe danger. They suffer higher rates of physical and sexual abuse and suicide. Compared to those held in juvenile detention centers, youth held in adult jails are 7.7 times more likely to commit suicide. Five times more likely to be sexually assaulted. Twice as likely to be beaten by staff. 50% are more likely to be attacked with a weapon. In the public’s eye, the teens that suffer through this are just getting what they deserve. But in reality the restricted youth are at great risk of sexual assault. More than 1 in 10 youth in state juvenile facilities and large non-state facilities reported experiencing one or more incidents of sexual victimization by another youth or facility staff in the past 12 months or since admission, if less than 12 months. We agree that adult court is for the most serious and radical offenders. While it is true that juvenile offenders are waivered to adult courts because they are a menace to the community and the reasoning of their crime, did it occur to you that youths held in adult prison are at greater risk of sexual victimization? The National Prison Rape Elimination Commission found that “more than any other group of incarcerated persons, youth incarcerated with adults are probably at the highest risk for sexual abuse.” Some of you may say that this isn’t such a horrible thing compared to their sins. But this crucial and inhuman act may be more deadly than you think.

In today's society, there are many crimes going on. Adults are not the only ones that commit crimes. One issue today is that juvenile offenses and whether juvenile offenders should be tried as adults in criminal court. A common phrase that is often used in this case of young juveniles committing crimes is "Old enough to do the crime, old enough to do the time." This phrase should be cleared to people that juveniles are not adults, and with this being said it will not make them one. "It has redefined juvenile offenses by treating most of them as delinquent acts to be adjudicated within a separate juvenile justice system that is theoretically designed to recognize the special needs and immature status of young people and emphasize rehabilitation over punishment" (Steinberg). While juveniles should be responsible for their actions, and should be held accountable for the crime, then the juvenile justice system is design to determine the consequences. Youths are still minors and are less mature. They often face a lot of negative peer pressure. Therefore, juveniles should not be tried in courts as adults.

Court systems are left with difficult decisions. A controversial decision courts are faced with today is whether or not juveniles are to be tried as adults. The increasing number of incarcerated children in adult jails raises questions as to why. Adolescents sentenced to prison are more likely to be abused, commit suicide, or reoffend, thus committing more serious offenses. The statutes requiring juveniles to enter adult prisons are inhumane and in-just. Nevertheless, sentencing children to adult prisons continues regularly today. When adolescents commit crimes, they should be tried as juveniles rather than adults.

Putting juveniles who have a range of offenses in the same facility is not a good idea, for the fact that lower and higher offenders can trade tricks and secrets to perfect their next crime or come up with a new one. Although some of these facts are disturbing none are as horrifying as, “75 percent of confined juveniles live in facilities that violate at least one critical physical design standard” (Ahranjani, Maryam, et al. 24), such as overcapacity, not enough sleeping areas, and the size of living space is smaller than supposed to be, which The American Bar Association found out in their studies. This has to do the lack and misuse of funding and the overcapacity of kids being sent to detention centers.

For years may people have debated whether or not juveniles should be tried as adults for serious crimes. The juvenile justice system was established in the year 1899(Long). Laws were first created to handle small cases such as truancy, shoplifting, and vandalism (Estudillo). Since 1993, at least 43 states have passed laws making it easier for children to be tried as adults (Estudillo). Juveniles should be tried as adults because by the time they’re about 12 they know that murder is wrong, if they’re grown up enough to kill someone then they’re old enough for adult consequences, and a lot of kids see the juvenile justice system as a way to get away with crime.

Getting transferred into a big adult facility affects the way the teenager develops mentally and physically. Nearly all of the juveniles that get taken in for trial, do not have a fully developed mentality or brain. The mind at this young age is not fully developed which means that the minor will not develop into an adult mind like they should. Teenagers in this environment are five times as likely to get sexually assaulted by another prisoner in an adult prison. Beating is one of the most common injury that happens to these juveniles. Committing suicide among these juveniles in an adult facility is eight times more likely to occur than in a juvenile facility. Punishment this harsh is a failed strategy in trying to change these juvenile’s behaviors and making them have more positive attitudes and beliefs. Juveniles tried as adults puts them in a spot where they are most likely to not get any classes on rehabilitation. The juvenile’s criminal record could contain more weight after they finish their sentence since they were not rehabilitated or around much experience with maturity ("6 facts about crime and the adolescent brain",

Placing a underage child into a prison full of adults is dangerous, this is making the life for the child worse and putting the juvenile at risk. They are being put at a high risk of being sexually assaulted by another adult inmate. These traumatizing things such as sexual assault could cause the juvenile to commit suicide or try to hurt other people. According to Equal Justice Initiative, a child who is in an adult prison is 36 times more likely to commit suicide (Bryan Stevenson et al.). That is an insane number.

To Be An Adult Depending on factors of the offense, age and past criminal history, some juvenile offenders should be tried as adults – if not to be placed in jail, to receive the help that they desperately need. There’s already a system in place, but ultimately it all comes down to the judge and the jury. Of course it’d make life simpler if we were to just throw them aside and send them off to where they can no longer do us any harm, but even though it sounds like the very best idea for our own self-preservation; it doesn’t help them, in fact it only hinders. Life is far too short, and if we choose to give up on our nation’s youth because of their misdeeds at such a young age then what hope should we have for their generation and the future of this country? None, because we have set them all up for failure.

On June 25, 2012, the Supreme Court spoke that juveniles who committed a serious crime such as a murder could not be sentenced to life in jail.This all due to the Eighth Amendment on cruel and unusual punishment. The Juvenile justice system has caused controversy since then about to sentence minors to life sentence or not. There are many sides and strong opinions about it. Many authors concerned about Juvenile justice agree or disagree about minors treated into an adult justice system. The argument has targeted young juveniles such age as seventeen to be treated as an adult or to be still treated as a minor. My opinion about this controversial issue is to treat these juveniles as adults but trial them as actual adults until they have reached

Many of these juveniles are the ones forming gangs. They also the ones drug dealing,enacted in robberies and are mostly like to be the ones committing murders. Therefore if they were to be tried as as adults and put in adult prisons, they would probably think more seriously about their acts and next time think twice of what they are going to do.

Imprisonment alone is not the only consequence for these young offenders. There are many collateral consequences that these children may have to encounter while in prison and after their release. For instance, EJI (2017) found that children have a five times greater chance to be sexually assaulted in adult prisons when compared to those in juvenile facilities. Many children

Around 41 percent of Americans have been arrested at least once before the age of 23. That’s 9 percent away from being half of the United States. These children that get into trouble may not even realize their consequences for their doings, not realizing how serious things can get. Who are theses kids that make these poor choices? Should the children that commit violent crimes be tried as adults?

Juvenile should not be convicted as adults for violent crimes because juveniles lose brain cells and connections that are responsible for controlling impulses, risk taking, and self control. taking a child and putting them in a prison or jail can mess with their mental state and they will get so accustomed to that sort of environment that they will feel insecure and end up committing another crime just to get back to the comforts of a prison cell because they feel like an outcast. Some teens suffer from mental instability and because of that instability that teenager will not understand that they are committing a crime.