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Should Juveniles Be Charged As Adults

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When found guilty of a crime, should juveniles be charged as adults?
Minors are often charged as adults for serious offenses such as murder, and robbery, but this practice has come under scrutiny in recent years. Some experts argue that minors should not be charged as adults because their brains are not fully developed, and they lack the emotional maturity to understand the consequences of their actions. Furthermore, minors who are charged as adults often face harsher sentences than their adult counterparts, which can have a lasting impact on their lives. In this essay, I will discuss why minors should not be charged as adults when guilty of a crime, with quotes from real-world sources.

One of the main arguments against charging minors as adults is that their brains are not fully developed, and they lack the emotional maturity to understand the consequences of their actions. According to Dr. Laurence Steinberg, a psychology professor at Temple University, "The parts of the brain that are responsible for impulse control and decision-making are not fully developed until people are in their mid-20s." This means that minors may not fully understand the impact of their actions, and may not be able to make sound judgments in the heat of the moment. …show more content…

According to the Campaign for Youth Justice, "Juveniles who are tried as adults often receive much longer sentences than if they were tried in juvenile court." This can have a devastating impact on their lives, as they may be incarcerated for years or even decades. Additionally, minors who are charged as adults may be housed in adult prisons, which can put them at risk of physical

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In “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains,” Paul Thompson--a neuroscientist at UCLA--argues that minors should not be sentenced as adults because their brains are not the same as adults’ brains. Even though Thompson believes that minors should be held accountable for their crimes, he presents evidence from recent studies to explain the differences between the brains of minors and adults. It is not surprising that Thompson uses logical evidence to defend his position, given that he is a scientist. However, Thompson frequently uses emotional persuasion--or pathos--to convince his readers that sentencing minors as adults is both unjust and uninformed. Through his use of structure and emotionally charged language, Thompson attempts to convince readers

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These studies also show that a great deal of teenagers who commit serious felonies have a severe psychological illness. Instead of getting the help, teenagers are forced into adult prisons without getting the mental help they desperately need. The author chose to write this article to advocate for the teens that are tried as adults when there is a juvenile court system. He uses Greg as an example of a teenager who was tried as an adult committing murder. He uses Greg to represent the other teenagers in the adult system who have committed a serious felony similar to his.

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Some might agree that, “The juvenile justice system is failing to protect citizens from the surge in violent crimes committed by juveniles. What is needed is a system that protects society from violent juvenile offenders, and efficiently rehabilitates juveniles." (G Garcett) The threat of this harsher punishment will result in lowered juvenile crime rates. Juveniles should be convicted as adults for violent crimes because it is not fair for juveniles to commit big crimes and get away with it so easily.

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There are a lot of juveniles who are committing violent crimes in today's society. Most times you see a juvenile commit a violent crime and an adult turns around and does the same thing. Due to one's age, their consequences are different and it's a good thing because some minors can’t survive in prison. But when one thinks about it juveniles are only doing what they see the adults doing. Juveniles should only be charged as an adult for violent crimes such as rape, murder, and armed robbery.

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There are certain instances of juveniles being tried as adults and sometimes ending up getting a life sentence without a chance of parole. I find that pretty harsh because there have been some cases where the juvenile meant no harm, they were either confused or brought along by gang members and they end up being charged along with the gang members for just being with them when a crime goes down. I believe that juveniles do not deserve to be given a life sentence because for one they are still maturing, they can learn from their mistakes and make amends, we still have to combat crimes like intended murder committed by a juvenile with extreme punishments especially if they are well over the age of 16. In the article published by the New York Times on March 14, 2012 “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences”, Garinger discusses that juveniles deserve a second chance since their brains are still developing.

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According to some studies, brain development is not complete until the age of 25. Behavioral science research has shown that children focus on short-term rewards rather than long-term consequences of their actions. These studies also show that juveniles engage in immature, emotional, risky, aggressive and impulsive behavior and delinquent acts. A vast majority of minors do not understand certain legal repercussions of breaking the law, and the legal proceedings of criminal court. Researchers have found that a large portion of minors under the age of 16, could not understand the proceedings or help lawyers defend them.

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Juveniles take up a large percentage of prisons in the U.S. every year with some having long adult sentences. According to njjn.org 250,000 juniors under the age of 18 are charged in an adult court and sentenced to prison with an adult sentence. Many states still allow kids as young as ten to be tried in an adult court with a jury rather than be in a juvenile court without one. Adult prison sentences are too harsh for juveniles. There are many different crimes that can put a junior in an adult court.

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Adults think with the prefrontal cortex, the brain's rational part. The Information shows that a juveniles brain still isn't fully developed so when juveniles commit serious crimes they are still not aware of what their consequences might be. Clearly this shouldnt be used in every case. Court rooms should go case by case and use a fair justice system to penalize them for their actions.

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We have seen today in society of how crime rates have been rampant and how statistics show that most of the crimes were being made by minors. I believe that when most of them look at the bottom of these young offenders come disproportionately from impoverished single-parent homes that are located in the neighbourhoods desinvertido and have high rates of learning disabilities, mental health, and substance abuse and problems with the help of the system of juvenile justice that can make a great return on a successful transition to adulthood. Their ages ranged from 20 and under, most are under fifteen years of age. Juveniles tried as adults must assume the same consequences as any other criminal and are subject to state prisons with inmates much higher and that have probably committed crimes much more tortuous then you could ever have. These minors between the ages of nine to twenty according to the offence committed or of the number of times that are prosecuted and believe that it is immutable.

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When teen felons choose to act without thinking, they are putting other people’s lives at risk. They need to be charged as adults because the victims of the crimes will not be given the justice they deserve when they have to worry about that criminal harming them again. Although some people think that sending a juvenile through adult court gives them no hope, they should have given this a little thought before committing the crime. Teens need to think about the consequences and how their actions affect others before they act. When choosing between putting a violent adolescent in prison and taking the chance of letting them commit that crime again, it is most suitable to let the teen be tried as an adult and to place them in prison.

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Can you imagine waking up behind closed walls and bars? Waking up to see your inmate who is a 45-year-old bank robber and you are a 14-year-old minor who made a big mistake. This is why minors who have committed crimes should not be treated the same as adults. Some reasons are because the consequences given to minors in adult court would impact a minor’s life in a negative way. If a minor is tried through a juvenile court, they have a greater chance of rehabilitation.

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