Should Juveniles Be Charged With Adult Crimes Essay

Improved Essays
According to the article written by the CNN legal analyst, Phillip Halloway named ‘Should 11-year-olds be charged with adult crimes?’ on 14th October 2015, there has been an increase in the number of juvenile offenders who have been sentenced as adults. These are the issues presently plaguing the American legal system, as the brutal deeds of juvenile wrongdoers keep on to making headlines (Halloway, 2015). The primary question is, are children able to understand the consequences of their actions? Maybe, not as latest studies suggest that the brain 's prefrontal lobe, which some scientists study, performs an important role in slowing down improper behavior, may not attain full growth until age 20. Consequently, I believe juveniles should not be tried as adults. This paper aims at both analyzing the situation and establishing whether a gender-based analysis of the issue was displayed. Day by day the law keeps on getting the firm of juvenile felons. Children are at present being judged by the charge against the crime committed rather than their age and maturity. Juveniles should not be tried as adults for the reason that it is unjust, wrong, and does more harm than good. Juveniles may not warrant such harsh chastisement. Each day, the United States kids are detained for major or minor crimes. Furthermore, we must take into thought that kids also go through a tough period during the ages of 12-17, since it 's an age of major transition (Halloway, 2015). Although some of the juveniles are worthy of serving adult time, that should not push the law to try each juvenile as an adult. Sending an adolescent to adult criminal court is more often unalterable than not, and it frequently exposes young lawbreakers to severe and at times deadly forms of punishment, not to mention additional peer influences that in several instances have the contrary outcome of escalating criminal activity (LaVelle & Richard, 2004). The truth that cannot be whatsoever refuted is that when a juvenile goes into an adult prison or holding, that child or teenager is not only a target to other adult cellmates but, also, gains knowledge on how to carry out new crime. The solution is to make an effort in rehabilitating the juveniles, but not to chastise them. Subsequently that also leads to the likely possibility that the child might not be reformed and his mental state is, in fact, "permanent". Cases of crime have been rising ever since the early 1990 's. “The number of young individuals below 18 years detained for carrying out violent misdeeds has increased, from 66,296 in 1983 to 104,137 in 1992” (Lavelle and Richard, 2004). These juvenile misdemeanors have traversed numerous racial boundaries, classes and shouldn’t be labeled as a particular group of people. "Should a child who rapes, kills or carries out an armed attack without the doubt be tried as an adult?" (LaVelle and Richard, 2004), the answer is no. The kids ought to be given a chance to rehabilitate while they are still capable of changing and shouldn 't be bound to adult courts and condemned to prison or death row. …show more content…
Kids at present have more ways in which they can access arms and drugs, "but that is a function of the environment to restrict such access, and we can 't put right community problems with the criminal law" (Thompson, 1998). The law must not merely examine the crime, but also probe their environment, what goes on in the home; who are their friends. The possible origins of these juvenile misdemeanors ought to be investigated to a greater extent than the crime …show more content…
It 's safe to presume that politicians are no longer concerned with the wellbeing of juveniles. Politicians merely just want to give juveniles a quick trial to save time and money. They suppose they get rid of the problem, but the truth of the matter is that they make it a great deal worse. Adult prisons give rise to new criminals. As soon as you are placed into a facility like that, you consequentially become a victim unless you associate yourself with a prison gang. If you do not decide to join a clique, you will be an easy target and turn out to be a victim of physical attacks, rapes, and maybe even

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Just Mercy Summary

    • 1590 Words
    • 7 Pages

    After the nationwide spike in juvenile crime in the late 1980’s – early 1990’s (when Charlie’s case took place) that lead the states to adopt laws and policies that depraved certain youth of the original juvenile justice system protections, made it easier to move youth from juvenile to adult criminal court, and often placed children with the most severe sentences permitted by law, the McArthur foundation “led many states and courts to view juvenile crime, and juvenile justice, through a developmental lens”. (Juvenile) With recent research, in developmental psychology, on the still developing adolescent brain and how it differs from that of an adult. Because of this courts now often view rehabilitation as their primary goals. Thus often, instead of placing the youth in a juvenile jail, the juvenile is placed on probation, or in an educational and therapeutic program either provided in the youth’s community or in a residential…

    • 1590 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    And their characters are still in formation” (6). Throwing a juveniles in an adult prison despite committing an “adult” crime is similar to throwing a kitten into a cage of lions. There is a difference between a child and an adult. Adults have more life experience, their brain are more developed, their emotions can easily be controlled. A child on the other hand is underdeveloped, they learn from the adults around them.…

    • 1190 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    In the modern legal system, most jurisdictions view a person as an adult at 18 years of age. Until a person reaches this age, they are less likely to receive the full extent of a jurisdiction’s legal system. At certain parts in a child’s life, age can be used as a valid defense. If a person is under 7 years of age, they will not be charged in most jurisdictions. From the age of 7 to the age of responsibility, which is usually recognized as 16 but varies by jurisdiction, an offender can be tried in the juvenile system (criminal Law Today).…

    • 1739 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Children committing heinous crimes are not a rare occurrence anymore; the upsetting reality requires new tactics for dealing with young juveniles. Some Americans believe children should be tried as adults, yet others feel that they are too young to understand their wrong doings. In most conditions minors are quickly told they are too young or too old for something, however before being sent to an adult facility we need to contemplate all aspects of the case in order to decided whether or not being tried as an adult is necessary. Regardless of the crime, some people feel that an adult facility is not a suitable environment for children to serve their sentences.…

    • 1083 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Should juveniles be jailed for life? The young juvenile defendant wearing a tattered bright orange jumpsuit was glumly staring at his greasy sweaty hands. Beside him, his suave and professional lawyer was repetitively clicking his pen in nervousness. The judge was about to give the verdict.…

    • 1526 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Juveniles are not mentally capable to understand the crime they commit like an adult is, thus they should not be tried as an adult. A child, just like any living thing, goes through developmental stages. Throughout their growth periods, juveniles learn new skills and so do their brains. In a study, “Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis of New York University led comprehensive diagnostic evaluations of 14 juveniles on death row (at that time, 40 percent) in four states. She found that nine had major neuropsychological disorders and seven had psychotic disorders since early childhood” (Ortiz).…

    • 596 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Do the crime, do the time means that if you commit a severe crime then you must suffer the consequence. Every time the court has a juvenile case a single question pops up,”Should they be tried as a juvenile or an adult?” Juveniles should be convicted as adults for violent crimes because they can be repeats in the future, can plan a murder, and need accountability of the crime.…

    • 69 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There is 34% more rearrests than those kept in the youth justice system. Adult prisons don’t help deter teens from committing crimes again. It provides less rehabilitation. It’s not the place for juveniles to grow maturely. These juveniles don’t have a strong mind to overcome the hardships in adult prisons.…

    • 1338 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Some people disagree with the fact that juveniles should not be charged in adult court due to the fact that some children go back to committing crimes right after juvenile “rehabilitation”. However, youths are also not allowed to vote or drink. “We know they’re still minors — they’re developmentally less mature and responsible and more impulsive, erratic and vulnerable to negative peer pressure” (Maroney). This goes back to the fact that juveniles’ cognitive ability to distinguish right from wrong behavior can be difficult for them. Take the Columbine Colorado shooting for example, or any school shooting for that matter.…

    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Recently in Michigan, multiple cars were damaged and many people were injured by large rocks being dropped from two overpasses. A 32 year old man that was hit with a 6 pound rock later died of his injuries, leaving his fiancee to care for their young boy by herself. The assailants of the crime were five boys, aged 15 to 17 years. They are being charged as adults in a court of law. The question is, should juveniles be charged as adults?…

    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Research has shown that the rational part of the brain doesn’t even develop until around the age of twenty-five, according to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice. Adults process information with the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s rational part that responds to situations with awareness and good judgement. On the other hand, teenagers process information with the amygdala, otherwise known as the emotional part of the brain. This explain why when in a decision-making process that teenagers tend to act on feelings and emotions rather than considering the long-term consequences of their actions. Punishments considered fair for an adult are unreasonable when given to a child who does not even comprehend the consequences for his or her actions (“Should Juvenile Offenders Be Tried As…

    • 1310 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Children as young as 13 years old have been tried as adults and sentenced to life in prison typically without consideration of their age or circumstances of the offense” (“children in prison” part. 1). Not only have the courts not taken the family history into consideration, but they also do not realize the situation they will now be placing these teens in. “Sadly the states have ignored the crisis and dysfunction that creates child delinquency and instead have subject kids to further victimization and abuse in the adult criminal justice system” (Children in Prison” Part. 2). Children in the criminal justice system have been more likely to be introduced into further violence and abuse killing their character and self esteem before they are even adults and leaves them with that for the rest of their lives. “Some 10,000 children are housed in adult jails and prisons on any given day in America, children are five times more likely to be sexually assaulted in prison than juvenile facilities and race increased risk of suicide” (“Children in Prison” Par. 4).…

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    America is one of only a few countries in the world that sentences adolescents to life in prison under the age of 18. Around 200,000 minors are charged in adults courts every year and by 2006 nearly 7000 minors were being housed in adult jails. The people making the decisions for the children who cannot make decisions for themselves are the ones saying they should be sent to an adult prison and some may even have to spend their lives there. Not many people could say they deserve it and some people say they could deserve it but is justice really served? Justice is the quality state of being fair and reasonable.…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Juveniles and Life Sentences Do juveniles deserve mandatory life in prison for their crimes or should they have the opportunity to receive a second chance? In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for any crime are now illegal to give to juveniles meaning that juveniles are no longer allowed to serve mandatory life sentences in prison. This ruling is agreeable because juveniles are not fully developed, and it is unfair for juveniles to serve mandatory life sentences. Juveniles do not deserve life sentences because the teenage brain is not fully developed.…

    • 709 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Old enough to do the crime, old enough to do the time,” Not only is this a catchy phrase that is gaining popularity, but it also represents a departure from the purpose with which the juvenile justice system was originally created over one hundred years ago‒to protect and rehabilitate young offenders. In an ideal world, counseling and rehabilitation would be enough for juvenile criminals, but oftentimes for repeat or violent offenders, this is just not enough. In the majority of cases involving violent crimes juvenile offenders must face the consequences of their actions and be tried as adults. Violent crime rates among juvenile offenders are increasing. Juveniles now are more likely than ever before to be the perpetrators of serious and deadly…

    • 1073 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics