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Should Juveniles Be Tried As Adults Essay

1188 Words5 Pages

There has been substantial debate throughout the years over whether juveniles should be tried as adults. Juveniles are still children; age does not indicate maturity when the brain is not entirely developed at that age. Juveniles require rehabilitation as well as additional resources to improve their conduct and address any underlying issues that cause their delinquent behavior. Those kinds of resources and assistance are not available in the adult criminal justice system. The adult criminal justice system does not benefit or help adolescents better their lives; on the contrary, it creates an additional amount of trauma and abuse. Minors should not be litigated as adults. In most cases juveniles should be tried and convicted as juveniles because …show more content…

The goal was to offer an enhanced and optimized process for engaging with underage criminals. The new approach involved providing a more compassionate and rehabilitative approach as well as resolving the deeper factors which contribute to adolescents' illicit conduct. In the years before, children convicted were sentenced as adults because there was not a separate court for juveniles. The rise in violent crime rates resulted in several states enacting broad modifications to facilitate prosecuting juveniles in adult criminal courts (Scialabba). Ortiz alludes that even if a minor indulges in a violent crime, there is no justification for trying them as an adult. It is apparent in the United States that there should be certain boundaries for adolescents, which is why it is prohibited for them to engage in certain activities like drinking alcohol, being able to vote, and getting married. In essence, the author's point is that there are laws that prohibit youth from engaging in certain events, but these laws are not applicable when it comes to trying juveniles as adults. It is evident that society recognizes the difference between adults and juveniles. When it comes to the criminal justice system charging minors as adults, the laws regulating adolescents contradict each other. Juveniles should be treated consistently; situations should not modify …show more content…

It may seem that the juvenile criminal justice system is too lenient, but preventive and rehabilitative approaches can be utilized to minimize juvenile aggressive conduct; they have been proven to be effective through a study executed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Steenson 246). Through this research, it is evident that the measures taken by the juvenile criminal justice system are effective against violent delinquents. The help designated for juveniles is intended specifically for youth. Furthermore, some would argue that there is now a greater probability that juveniles will commit major and fatal crimes. Yes, it is true, but according to scientific studies, punitive methods used in adult court have minimal to no impact on adolescents incarcerated as adults, and the percentage of repeat offenders is higher in several states (Scialabba). This evidence suggests that juveniles convicted in adult court are not effective in minimizing the outcomes of violent transgressions. Minors should remain in the juvenile criminal justice system, as their approach has a greater impact on

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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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Adolescents can then be put into rehabilitation programs and detention centers to help them recover without going through the struggle of prison. However, most programs and centers are “meant to be transitional placements, yet over half of the youth they hold are there longer than 90 days” (Sawyer). This proves that juveniles are not being helped and they will not mentally improve. In conclusion, there are many valid arguments that individuals could share about never trying juveniles as adults but it’s unethical to always let them off

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For these reasons, this is why juveniles should be tried as an adult, regardless of the situation that led them to do it. Teenagers that commit a crime such as murder, robbery, or beating up someone

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The violent crime rate among juveniles has grown at twice the rate compared to adults in the last two decades (Levitt, 1998). This fact shows that juveniles are constantly being given a slap on the wrist for the crimes adults get sent away for and the violent crime rate would not be inclining at the rate it is if they were processed as adults. Juveniles being processed as adults would decrease the rate due to the deterrence effect. There has been a rise in juvenile arrest rates for violent crimes due to the change in law and policies for juveniles that are less harsh when compared to adults (National Research Council, 2001). Juveniles know that the punishment they will receive for a crime is not harsh which leads them to commit more violent crimes.

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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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Teenagers are not perfect, and their irrational behavior can lead to poor decisions that could potentially be dangerous and unlawful. A debate has now occurred for many years that deals with the issue of sentencing teens that have committed serious crimes such as murder and robbery. Many people argue that if juveniles commit these crimes that their punishment should be equal to an adults punishment for serious crimes, but juveniles shouldn’t have to worry about their lives getting ruined. Most juveniles and teenagers do not have enough maturity to survive in the adult prison system, and recent brain development research shows us that teenagers brains are not even close to being finished developing. Therefore, teenagers and youth under the age of eighteen should

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