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Should Juveniles Be Tried As Adults Steinberg Analysis

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When it comes to the topic of trying juveniles as adults for serious crimes the majority of people will say yes; however, it is not a simple of an answer as it seems. In “Should Juvenile Offenders Be Tried as Adults” by Laurence Steinberg, Steinberg points out different reasons why this would not be as simple decision as it appears to be. Therefore, juveniles between the ages 13 and 17 should not be tried as adults because, their development is still incomplete, their judgment is less mature, and transferring them to a criminal court is a complicated process. For example, although the majority of peoples argument is ‘if you can do the time you can do the crime’, in reality, the situation goes far beyond the age of the juvenile. In Steinberg’s article “Should Juvenile Offenders Be Tried as Adults”, Steinberg himself writes “this age range is an inherently transitional time. There are rapid and dramatic changes in an individuals’ physical, intellectual, emotional, and social capabilities”. In other words, Steinberg believes these juveniles are still developing, and their mentality is far more different than an adults. If a young teenager is still developing in …show more content…

It is very easy for a young teenager to get influenced by what other individuals around them are doing, and by how their behavior is. It is simple for an adolescent to say ‘well if he’s doing it then it’s all right and I should do it too’. In “Should Juvenile Offenders Be Tried as Adults” by Steinberg, Steinberg also states that, “adolescence is a period of potential malleability. Experiences in the family, peer group, school, and other setting still have a chance to influence the course of development”. So, since these teens are being influenced in the mistaken way, their judgment is deprived. They essentially do not know any better. They are still growing and because they see it all around them, then they believe it is acceptable, proving that their judgment is

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The article, “The Steep Costs of Keeping Juveniles in Adult Prisons” written by Jessica Lahey states, “Juveniles constitute 1,200 of the 1.5 million people housed in federal and state prisons in this country, and nearly 200,000 youth enter the adult criminal-justice system each year, most for non-violent crimes.” Minors should not be tried as adults because their brains are not developed, they may come from bad backgrounds, and they have their whole life ahead of them, and their life should not be determined by the mistakes they made as a child. Juveniles who are usually 14 or older who have committed serious crimes are tried as adults and are put into adult-state prisons. This is inhumane and unsafe for the child’s physical and mental health. One of the many reasons that minors should not be tried as adults is because their brains are not fully developed, so they cannot make good decisions until they are older, far into their twenties.

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Juveniles shouldn’t be tried as adults. First, they are too young to understand and to perceive the problem. Second, the punishment is too harsh for juveniles to handle. Lastly, we should give them a chance to change as they still are young and be able to change. Would you put your kids in jail for the crime that they cause at the age of developing, the age of teenagers?

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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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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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There have been several courts in many states that have lowered the ages at which youths could be tried in adult criminal courts and expanded the ranges of young offenders that are subject to adult adjudication and punishment; at the same time, the severity of the penalties available to the juvenile court increased (Grisso, 2003). With the current legal developments have raised an important issue of developmental capacities needed to participate effectively in their trials (Grisso, 2003). Although courts and legislatures in some states have determined that youths adjudicated in juvenile and criminal courts must be competent, but there has been little recognition that youths in criminal court may not meet these standards due to developmental

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Children as young as 14 can be tried as an adult for a harsh crime . If a young adult commits a crime they should be tried as an adult

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Adult Court for Criminal Children Criminal children around the world are committing atrocities and how the justice system deals with them is a hotbed of debate. While kids and teens do not hold the best judgment and will make mistakes, there needs to be a limit to what is tolerable. There are many supporters and critics of the practice of trying kids as adults. Varying in different states, multifarious laws state that offenders of the law of any age or above a specific age can be convicted as an adult if their crime was severe enough.

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In my opinion, I think that juveniles should be prosecuted as adults depending on the type of criminal offense that he or she commits. If a juvenile commit petty crimes such as petty theft, disorderly conduct, vandalism, etc. then I think that they should be tried in juvenile court. However, if a juvenile commit any of the seven deadly sin in criminal justice then they should be prosecuted as an adult. The seven deadly sin include: Murder, rape, armed robbery, kidnapping, aggravated battery, aggravated sodomy, and aggravated child molestation.

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If a juvenile is defined as a person under the age of eighteen can we justify trying them in as an adult? Is convicting juveniles as adults a better solution? The first juvenile

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The mind of a minor is not well developed mentally, as compared to an adult. As we learned in CJAD 240, the rational choice theory holds that juveniles’ behavior is a rational choice based on personal circumstances, the gains outweigh the losses. Youth are said to not always able to tell what’s right or wrong, at least not as well as adults. In addition, we learned that youths have many psychosocial disadvantages, such as peer pressure, temperance, and perspective. Well, adults have learned the negative consequences of being easily influenced; youth are not always able to deal with it

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Juvenile Justice Should juveniles get treated as adults that’s one of the biggest controversy in our nation now days, with many juveniles committing crimes that are inconceivable according to their age. Judges have the last word on how to treat this young people. Many people argue that “the teens that are under eighteen are only kids, they won’t count them as young adults, not until they commit crimes. And the bigger the crime, the more eager this people are to call them adults” (Lundstrom 87). This is why people can’t come to a decision as how these young people should be treated like.

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In our society, crimes are being committed not only by adults but by juveniles as well. By law as soon as a person turns 18 they are considered to be an adult. So what if an adult and a juvenile were to commit the same crime yet were sentenced differently simply based on the fact that one is a child and one is an adult? Juveniles are committing violent crimes just as adults and should be given the equal treatment and sentencing as adults receive. Juveniles aren’t completely ignorant as everyone seems to think.

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Imagine you are being sentenced to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole at the age of 14 . Your naive self was present during the scene of a crime where someone was murdered. You, yourself didn’t do anything, but the judge feels you don’t deserve to ever be a free man or live a normal life. In similar instances, this is the reality of many juvenile inmates, who are currently spending the rest of their lives behind bars. The controversy that surrounds adolescent punishment in the United States is constantly being justified.

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Juvenile Justice Should juveniles get treated as adults that’s one of the biggest controversy in our nation now days, with many juveniles committing crimes that are inconceivable according to their age. Judges have the last word on how to treat this young people. Many people argue that “the teens that are under eighteen are only kids, they won’t count them as young adults, not until they commit crimes. And the bigger the crime, the more eager this people are to call them adults” (Lundstrom 87). This is why people can’t come to a decision as how these young people should be treated like.

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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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