Should Juveniles Be Tried As Adults Essay

In today’s world violent crimes have increased, and more of them have been committed by minors. There has been a lot of controversy over the years questioning if juveniles should be punished in the adult court system. A juvenile is a person below the age at which ordinary criminal prosecution is possible, technically under 18. Children at the ages of 14 and 15 are committing violent crimes such as rape, robbery, and murder. According to youth.gov, during the year of 2008 approximately 1.7 million delinquency cases are disposed in juvenile court annually. Some might say, “These teens are still learning and did not know any better.” For others, age is not a factor and they might say, “Don’t do the crime, if you can’t do the time” (David Grusin). The court

Juveniles who faced more serious acts could be tried as adults. For instance, the major change in how juveniles were being processed in court began with the case of re Gault. Gerald Gault was a 15-year-old boy who while being on probation made an inappropriate phone call to a neighbor. The police arrested him with no notice to his parents and specific charges, and at the hearing were no witnesses or record keeping. He was committed to 6 years at an industrial school, meanwhile if he was tried as an adult he would face a $50 fine and imprisonment for 2 months or few. His parents petitioned and argued that he was denied due process of the law. Due process of law means that the person being tried in court is entitled to certain safeguards to make the case fair and impartial. His case went to the Supreme court, and ruled in his favor. In 1971 the supreme court ruled that juveniles were no longer entitled to trial by jury in a juvenile court. They tried to keep a distinction between juvenile and criminal court. The case of re Gault is what led the most serious young offenders to be tried as