The Consequences Of Juvenile Crimes

Shawn, a sixteen year old boy with an alcoholic mom, turned to drugs in times of struggle. In 1998 during Christmas, he stabbed his sleeping father repeatedly in the head, neck, and arms with a knife in Los Altos. Shawn claimed he had no memory of this attack and psychological evaluation showed that Shawn had been sleepwalking during the time of the attack. As a result, he was sent to the California Youth Authority, which is a juvenile detention facility, to get help. In our society, teenagers and children are being tried as adults due to the harshness of their crimes. This is shown in Supreme Court cases like Kent vs. the United States which stated that juveniles needed a hearing before given charges, Roper vs. Simmons which did not allow …show more content…
The prefrontal cortex, which regulates aggression, long-term planning, moral judgements and more, is not yet developed in kids. So as a result, children act out in immature ways. In the article, “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences,” Gail Garinger brought up the idea that he has seen kids change their lives after getting the help they need. Thus, juveniles should be rehabilitated, instead of given life without parole, in order to change and become responsible adults. Another reason why juveniles should not face the same consequences as adults is because it is dangerous for kids to be placed in adult prisons. According to statistics, children are “five times more likely to be sexually assaulted, two times more likely to be beaten by staff, and eight times more likely to commit suicide than those in juvenile courts” Due to these facts, it is not safe for kids to be sent to adult prisons. Finally, juveniles should be sent to rehabilitation centers, instead of adult prisons. In the article written by Marjie Lindstrom, titled “Kids are Kids -- Until They Commit Crimes,” it is shown that those who are released from adult prisons become more violent criminals. By having adolescents in adult prisons, it damages their personality. Being in adult prisons would force the children to engage in survival of the fittest, …show more content…
While that may be true, people fail to see that these there are other ways to ensure safety that do not require juveniles to be tried as adults. First of all, in the movie, “When Kids Get Life,” research shows that more than two thousand, two hundred kids are sentenced to life without parole in the United States. This is a considerably large amount considering the fact that other countries only have twelve adolescents who are being given life without parole. It is unreasonable for the United States to sentence so many children to prison for life because they will never be able to experience a normal life again. Another reason is that if kids are tried as adults, they they should get the same rights as adults. For example, in “Kids are Kids -- Until They Commit Crimes,” a representative of Texas mentioned how the voting age should be lowered to the age of fourteen if kids were tried as adults. This shows that if people want kids to receive the same punishments, they should receive the same rights. Lastly, sending a child to rehab is a much better place than sending a child to prison. If a child goes to prison, they will not get the help they need, however, if they get the care from a rehabilitation center, it betters their chances of becoming a better person. In conclusion, juveniles should never be charged as adults and should never receive the same