Juveniles Should Be Tried As Adults Essay

When it comes to the criminal justice system, there are many varying elements that contribute to the process through which accused offenders are counseled. As is expected, there are also numerous moral and ethical disputes that come with the territory, such as whether or not children, or 'juveniles', should be tried as adults in court for the violent crimes they commit. Some may say any child over the age of five should know the difference between right and wrong; for an individual to plan out a crime and act on it, the punishment should fit the offense, no matter the age. However, there is a thin line between vice and neurosis when it comes to juveniles. The incarceration of individuals under the age of sixteen at adult correctional facilities …show more content…
According to CFYJ (Campaign for Youth Justice), 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". In 2011, the US Department of Justice released the precursory regulations for public remark. Regrettably, the presented rules do not safeguard juveniles in adult facilities. In response to this, national organizations and thousands of individuals in every state across the country are persistently urging Attorney General to protect minors in the justice system by prohibiting the placement of youth in adult jails and prisons. Linda Bruntmyer is one of the many mothers of underage rape victims who were incarcerated in an adult prison. Her son, Rodney Hulin, spent months in a coma after hanging himself in his prison cell before he passed away on the evening of May 9th, 1996. Rodney was reportedly being raped by fellow inmates after his transfer to a division for young offenders in the Clemens Unit (located in Brazoria, TX). The conviction that sent him to prison? Second-degree arson with property damage of less than $500.