Kids Should Never Be Tried As Adults In Canada

Kids should never be tried as adults. In Canada there are kids as young as 12 years old that have been prosecuted as adults. This should not be the case since they do not have the same rights as adults. As well as prisons are not a good fit for kids. Finally reformation programs are not provided.

In Canada there are certain rights adults have that kids do not. Firstly unlike adults kids under the age of 18 are not aloud to vote. In Canada kids are not aloud to vote since the government acknowledges their inability to make adult decisions. This is because the brain does not stop developing until mid 20’s or even late 30’s (Wallis). This means that no matter how smart a kid is, since there brain is not fully developed they will not have as good

Firstly it is dangerous for kids to be placed in jails. Kids are easy targets for the adult inmates since they are weaker. Kids are five times as likely to be sexually assaulted, two times as likely to be beaten by the staff, and 50% as likely to be attacked with a weapon (Debiasio). These dangers will force kids to defend themselves. This will lead them into more trouble. Secondly prisons do not offer education to kids. Kids will lose out on their right to education while in jail. Education is a key factor in any kids life and without it miss out on many life skills. These skills include creativity, writing, math and much more. Furthermore making it that much more difficult for these kids to find work after completing their sentences. If these kids are not able to find work once released, they will be influenced to turn to illegal work or crimes in order to make money. People with low level educations are three and a half times more likely to end up end up in jail (Kathryn Hanson). Lastly kids in jail can be placed in solitary for their safety. However this means that they spend 23 hours of their day in a room, without windows and no human interaction. This is obviously not healthy for children. A majority of these kids sleep for most of the day since they have nothing else to do. Too much sleep can lead to depression, cognitive impairment, higher risk of diabetes and much more (Rosie Osmun). Prison is not healthy or good for kids in any ways.

Firstly juvenile reformation facilities focus on rehabilitation rather than punishment. By focusing on rehabilitation, this allows the kid to turn his life around. Since there brains are still developing and they have so much time ahead of them this is the best time to help the kid. Missouri has a 92 percent success rate of keeping these juvenile offenders from re entering the system (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER). This is much better than the recidivism rate which in Ontario in 2014 was 37.4% (MCSCS). Secondly juvenile reformation facilities offer free education. They have qualified teachers that will teach the kids according to their grade levels to make sure they do not fall off. This also insures that when they are done with the program and have been released they will have an easy time fitting right back in. They also receive training in a skill that will be marketable when they get out. Given the age off the kids they are able to attend college and university after attending a reformation facility. Ultimately juvenile reformation facilities reduce the likelihood of suicide by 36 times than if the kid had been tried as an adult(Youth Justice). This is because of the improved living conditions, which include housing, food and social interaction. As well as involving the kids family to help things get better. Juvenile reformation facilities also include reward programs which makes the kid want to do well.