Juveniles Should Not Be Tried As Adults Essay

Unfortunately, 1,852 minors were incarcerated into juvenile correctional facilities in 2018 (Prison Policy, 2018). This does not include the number of minors who were tried as adults or the cases that were never recorded. With the rates of juvenile crimes alarmingly increasing, it’s important to investigate possible factors and whether or not the individual should be tried as an adult. There are many situations and reasons in which I feel minors should not be tried as adults. However, there are serious violent cases in which I believe at a certain age the individual should be tried as an adult. I don’t believe children and adolescents should be tried or treated as an adult for many reasons. One being that I don’t believe they are cognitively developed enough to

More so, “juveniles in adult facilities are at increased risk of being physically and sexually assaulted” (Adolescent Development and Competency Guidebook, n.d., p. 12). A minor may become a victim of other inmates and potentially the staff members. The guidebook also points out, minors are five times more likely than an adult to become a victim of physical or sexual abuse in an adult facility (Adolescent Development and Competency Guidebook, n.d.). Another challenge of putting minors in an adult facility is the staff members are not trained to deal with them. They do not understand the needs and characteristics of an adolescent offender (Adolescent Development and Competency Guidebook, n.d.). Lastly, many adult facilities do not provide mental health treatment. Furthermore, numerous adolescents who become incarcerated are struggling with other mental health problems. Therefore, they need the treatment that adult facilities either do not provide or are inadequately equipped to do so (Adolescent Development and Competency Guidebook,