Juveniles Should Not Be Tried As Adults Essay

Throughout American history, anyone who has committed a crime has the right to a trial by jury. However, in recent years, youths have become a major issue in the legal justice system. The problem is that youths are being tried as adults instead of juveniles, regardless of their age. The practice of charging youths and adults have drastically increased throughout the years which is costing states a lot of money and this method has lots of inadequacies for youths to learn from their mistakes and from committing another crime. Even though juveniles, who commit heinous crimes, should be tried for their wrongdoing, they should not be charged as adults and they should receive different treatments than adults.

Juveniles should not be tried as adults

The article, “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains.” reveals that, “These frontal lobes, which inhibit our violent passions, rash actions, and regulate our emotions, are vastly immature throughout the teenage years” (Thompson). This demonstrates that in terms of cognitive development, all teenagers are far from adulthood. It also demonstrates that teenagers need all of the help they can get to guide their development onto the right path and away from the impulsive and erratic behavior. The article, “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences.” also reveals that, “The rationale for these earlier decisions is simple and equally applicable to the cases to ber heard: Young people are biologically different from adults” (Garinger). This shows that teenagers are less mature, more defenseless to peer pressure, cannot escape from dangerous surroundings, and their personalities are still developing. It also shows that since the brains of teenagers are still in development, they are promising candidates for rehabilitation, which means that they can learn from their mistakes and to try to prevent themselves from committing another crime. Due to the lack of brain development in teenagers and the significant biological difference between teenagers and adults, they should receive different treatments from