How young is "old enough" to be an adult criminal? Being tried as adults exposes these juveniles to state penitentiaries and sentences up to life in prison without parole. But is this really effective? Do these kids have the capacity understand the crimes they are committing? Is there something or someone behind the acts of these young offenders? These questions leave us wondering if this really is effective or is there a better way of handling adolescent offenders. Around 250,000 juveniles are sentenced or imprisoned as adults every year. Between 1990 and 2010, the number of juveniles being tried as adults has gone up by 230%. This means on any given day around 10,000 kids are put into adult jails and prisons. Although not all will be …show more content…
A study showed that 40% of adult prisons had no educational services. If the incarcerated youth isn't getting the necessary education and training to find employment how are they supposed to find a job when they get released. Also, youth sentenced as adults receive an adult criminal record. This will restrict then from many employment and educational opportunities and many studies have shown that lack of education and employment means higher chances of re-incarceration. There are also many dangers in sending juveniles to adult prisons. Youth sent to adult prisons are at an extreme risk for sexual victimization. According to the National Prison, Rape Elimination Commission and the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 asserted that children are five times more likely to be sexually assaulted in adult prisons than in juvenile facilities, often within the first 48 hours of their incarceration. As many studies have shown keeping kids out of the adult system can be very beneficial. Since 2005, 30 states including Washington D.C. have passed a law the make it more difficult to convict and sentence juveniles as adults. The main focus was on education, mental health, and substance abuse. Since then, the number of detained youth has gone down by