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Why We Should Be Punished For Juvenile Crimes

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Many heinous juvenile crimes have been made throughout all of America with the past two decades. Such as stealing, drugs, murder, etc. As soon as a juvenile commits a crime, society transforms the child into an adult. If an adult can not be charged as a child in court, then children shouldn’t be charged as adults. A child’s brain is not fully developed like an adult’s brain would be. An adult should already know their wrongs from rights. As for children, they see things totally different. A child should be punished for their actions but shouldn’t be sentenced to life because they aren’t ready. they do not know their full intentions to do something they weren’t thinking straight about. What kid what would want to spend their childhood in prison? …show more content…

Most parents believe their kids gain mischievous habits from violent television shows causing adolescents to mimic what they see into real life not knowing it’s all fiction. Adolescents don’t think of the effect of their actions once they have gone too far like play fighting and it turning into murder. For example, I saw on the news awhile back that chubby 10 year old boy was playing with his 4 year old neighbor and the boy fell on top of the little girl by accident and he killed her because she hit the pavement very hard causing a serious head injury leading to death. In the article “On Punishment and Teen Killers,” by Jennifer Jenkin, she argues that juveniles are exposed to dangerous items and dramatizing events like weapons, violent television shows, and bad habit friends. Children are so gullible when it comes to seeing something on television and try to do it on their own even though they say not to try at home. Jenkin’s says, “The inuit people of Northern Canada had no juvenile crime at all until 1980 and the introduction of the television into their culture.” (Jenkins 91). She explains how television had an impact into children’s habits which was good before their culture was introduced to television. Juveniles should not be tried as adults because if they commit a crime like murder they will be sent to maximum security state prisons which will place them with …show more content…

In the article “Kids Are Kids - Until They Commit Crimes,” by Marjie Lundstorm, she says that kids are kids until they commit a crime like murder which transforms them into adults in the eyes of the judge. Judges trial juveniles as adults because some children feel no remorse of their crime or the crime was too serious. For example if a child goes on a killing rampage throughout town and kills several people then the judge feels he has to trial the child as an adult for his actions. Lundstrom says, “Hey they’re only kids. That is until they foul up. Until they commit crimes. And the bigger the crime, the more eager we are to call them adults.” She explains how people are eager to trial juveniles as adults when they commit huge crimes. Overall juveniles should not be tried as adults because children aren’t capable of thinking of their actions and taking in such serious consequences. Kids are just kids and don’t deserve to grow up in prison full of criminals who do realize what they did. Juveniles can change their habits and morals with rehabilitation. Instead of sending a kid straight to jail for life, he/she should be helped to be a better person in the long run. It can turn their life upside down. Children are the future and we need to help them by leading them through the right path in

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