The governor of Connecticut recently proposed raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction to twenty-one as a way of keeping young offenders out of incarceration. In the ensuing debates on whether this is a good idea or not, experts also disputed the appropriate cut off age for juvenile court. Carmen Daugherty, in her article “No One Younger Than 18 Should Be Tried as an Adult,” suggests eighteen as the age limit. She attempts to persuade readers that the practice of trying, sentencing, and incarcerating youth under eighteen in the adult criminal justice system should be terminated as it fails to meet the needs of adolescents. Daugherty appeals to logos to support her claim. According to the article, studies show that the adult criminal system does not deter repeat offenses for juveniles under eighteen. In
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Consequently, they are more prone to risk taking and peer influence than adults; they think less about their future and express their emotions in more volatile ways. The juvenile system recognizes this distinct adolescent nature, and allows for recovery through developmentally appropriate programs, making young adults under eighteen better suited for the juvenile system rather than the adult system. However, when young law-breakers murder or rape someone, it is much more difficult call on whether they should be tried as adults or juveniles. The decision should be made on a case-by-case basis, depending on the severity, motive, and nature of the crimes. For example, a sixteen-year-old boy murdering his father to protect his sister warrants a different analysis than a case of a remorseless sixteen-year-old boy who murdered a mother and her two young children to steal a car. Some teenagers deserve to be tried in adult court, but fortunately, those teenage criminals are the exception, not the
Consequently, they are more prone to risk taking and peer influence than adults; they think less about their future and express their emotions in more volatile ways. The juvenile system recognizes this distinct adolescent nature, and allows for recovery through developmentally appropriate programs, making young adults under eighteen better suited for the juvenile system rather than the adult system. However, when young law-breakers murder or rape someone, it is much more difficult call on whether they should be tried as adults or juveniles. The decision should be made on a case-by-case basis, depending on the severity, motive, and nature of the crimes. For example, a sixteen-year-old boy murdering his father to protect his sister warrants a different analysis than a case of a remorseless sixteen-year-old boy who murdered a mother and her two young children to steal a car. Some teenagers deserve to be tried in adult court, but fortunately, those teenage criminals are the exception, not the