Why Juveniles Should Be Tried As Adults

Children are often unable to consider the long term consequences of their actions, have difficulty taking the perspective of others, and typically have

In the article “On Punishment and Teen Killers” the author states “My youngest sister was the joy of our close family. When a teenager murdered her and her husband in 1990 in suburban Chicago, she was pregnant with their first child. She begged for the life of her unborn child as he shot her. He reported to a friend, who testified at his trial, about his “thrill kill” that he just wanted to “see what it would feel like to shoot someone.” This teen was charged as adult by the JLWOP ( Juvenile Life without Parole) his problem was he was believed to be a serial killer in the making. In the article Jenkins states “ After a series of other crimes, he planned the murders for months, carefully and privately. He did not act on impulse of peer pressure…” This quote means the teenager had other intentions of killing more people his problem was he just wanted to understand how it felt to kill someone and the consequence after the crimes were done. Maybe he believed since he was underage he would not get charged as an adult.

Children have a long standing history in crimes. Some are cold blooded killers and some have real mental issues we have no idea they have. Children have been in crime since the 1900s. Currently in the united states there are thousands of children coming into jail everyday for murder, homicide, or any other particular crime. One source states that, “Currently an estimated 250,000 youth are tried, sentenced, or incarcerated as adults every year across the

Other people argue that Juveniles may not have the mental capacity to know that this is wrong. This is, in fact, wrong in most cases. A child no matter what the age should know that killing or performing other atrocious acts on others is wrong.There are some exceptions such as mental illness and adverse effects from medications. According to https://flowpsychology.com/10-pros-and-cons-of-juveniles-being-tried-as-adults/, “because teenagers have full control over their thoughts and actions. If they do not have the moral compass instilled in them by that time, then they are very likely to commit more crimes.” This implies that, should teenagers not be tried as adults, they may never learn their lesson.Even if they don’t from harsher punishments; at least they will

Many people believe that kids are kids until they commit violent crimes. Juveniles who commit violent crimes were tried as adults and had equal punishment, the number of violent crimes committed by youths would decline. Individuals who commit a crime do not think about the consequences they have to face. They are well aware of their surroundings and the actions they chose. Nehemiah Griego a fifteen year old who killed his parent and three younger siblings was sentenced as a juveniles and released from state custody by the time he turns twenty one (Article, p.1).

This question has caused a number of debates between scholars, law makers, psychiatrists and laypeople. When the juvenile justice system was created over a hundred years ago, it was because the lawmakers at the time decided that children should not be tried as adults because their lack of maturity meant that they should not be held to the same standards as adults (The National Academies Press, n.d.). This meant that children under the age of 12 were unlikely to be charged with a crime as they were seen not to be accountable for their actions. However, as the number of crimes that juveniles were committing along with their severity increased, it became necessary for the courts and lawmakers to institute stricter punishments for juvenile offenders. The problem with sentencing children as adults is that they will not be rehabilitated.

Everyday a juvenile is caught for committing serious felonies and sometimes even gets away with it in front of a jury. A juvenile that commits murder should suffer the consequences of their actions. By facing these consequences the juvenile will have to face the reality of the world.

Simmons (2005), the Court ruled “that those under the age of 18 could not be sentenced to the death penalty, holding that the death penalty constituted cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the US Constitution when applied to juveniles (Liles & Moak, 2015, p. 78).” In Roper, the Court addressed issues of juvenile maturity, vulnerability, external influences, development, and culpability. In their holding, the Court cited inherent differences distinct to a juvenile, stating that the juvenile’s culpability must be considered in capital punishment decisions. The decision in Roper exclusively established differences between juveniles and adults for death penalty cases. At this time, juveniles could still be sentenced to life without parole.

There are many cases where juveniles have gotten their life ruined because they are convicted as being an adult. Juveniles should not be tried as adults no matter how severe the crime might appear,if and only if they did not plan the murder. There are many factors that drive a juvenile to commit a crime which they did not intend or plan. A teenager’s background is one of the major reasons why they behave erratically. The example they receive from their guardians at home has a major impactor effect as to how they think and act.

“Neuroscience and developmental psychology demonstrate that juveniles are developmentally different than adults” (Henry). All children are not as able as adults to make mature decisions because they have higher social impulses and emotional impulses. Children who have killed someone should not be prosecuted as adults. The human brain doesn’t fully develop in adolescents, the law in some states says children under 14 should not be tried as adults, and children have to be at least 18 to make big decisions, such as voting.

There are 2,225 child offenders serving life without parole in the United States(“united states: thousands of children sentenced to life without parole”). Around 93% of minors sentenced to life without parole were convicted of first degree murder (“united states: thousands of children sentenced to life without parole”). As of 2018, 42 states in America have passed laws allowing minors to receive life sentences based on certain crimes(“united states: thousands of children sentenced to life without parole”). Although charging minors as adults may seem extensive and harmful, many take into account the irreversible effects on the victim’s family, the mindset and background contributions, and the fact that

As more minors are committing violent crimes, the question of whether they should be tried as adults has arisen. Children as young as 13 or 14 are committing violent crimes such as murder, rape, and armed robbery. Some of these children are being tried as adults while others are being tried as juveniles and receiving milder punishments. A juvenile offender may receive a few years in a juvenile detention facility and possibly probation following his release at age eighteen. An adult committing the same violent crime will receive a much harsher penalty, often years in jail, possibly a life sentence, with little or no chance of parole. The only difference between the two offenders is the age at which they committed the crime. Juveniles over

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.

Teenagers continuously make the wrong decisions but because they hardly get punished for it their mentality says that they can do it again. Some juveniles kill simply for their own satisfaction but they don’t get the punishment they deserve. Many people believe that teenagers are innocent but they are not and I am a teenager myself. If a killer has the ability to understand that killing is immoral they must pay the price; the death penalty. In Roper V. Simmons, the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles who are under eighteen should not get the death penalty because it violated the Eighth Amendment because it was “cruel” and “unusual” (Roper V Simmons 2005). At age 17, Christopher planned and committed the murder of Shirley Crook. Simmons declared