Prosecuting children and sending them away to adult facilities is tragic in and of it-self. Children do not get the education they need in adult prisons, or the stable help needed. It essentially takes the life of children and causes unimaginable heartache for others. “It is beyond debate that the human brain does not reach anything close to maturity until the early mid-20s” (CNN). The brain of a child does not work the same as the brain of an adult. The facts stand clear of this. Children cannot enlist into the military. Children cannot vote. Children cannot make any legal decisions for themselves. Children indeed cannot even legally order a beer for themselves. Children cannot even purchase over the counter cold medicine. Therefore, it stands clear to the reason that an adolescent child most defiantly cannot understand the nature and the consequences of their actions. In a rational society it is not appropriate to apply adult consequences to the choices made by children whom had no idea what they may be getting themselves …show more content…
Research shows that, “250,000 youth are tried as adults each year in the U.S. and the crime rates have gone down” (NYtimes). However, the suicide risk is much higher for children in adult prisons. According to the article, “Speak Out”, on page 22, “The study found that the suicide rate of juveniles in adult prisons is 7.7 times higher than it is in juvenile detention centers.” This raises the issue of whether prolonged incarceration of children violates the Eighth Amendments of prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment (CNN). Children are not emotionally stable to handle the fear, and pressure of adult criminals terrorizing them each and every day. Juveniles are abused regularly and that causes depression rapidly in adult prisons. Depression is a serious disorder that cannot be treated inside the cell walls of an adult facility. Depression needs to be treated overtime without the event that caused the depression to continue to occur in the victim’s life. Therefore, the outcome is children are most likely to give up on life and put a cap on the lid to their worst