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Special Session 11 Punishment

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Recommended: Prosecuting juveniles as adults

The start to such severe punishment for minors began with what is referred to as the “summer of violence” which took place in Denver, Colorado in 1993. During the summer of ’93, seventy four people were killed in Denver, due to an increase in violence caused by minors. In order to try to gain control of the situation and to put fear into the minors in order to keep them from committing such crimes the governor at the time requested a special session in order to try to change the laws about how minors could be processed after committing a crime. As a result of said special session 11 laws were passed. One of which gave prosecutors the right to file charges against minors between the ages of 14 and 17 (Gardner, 2011). The passing of these new laws changed the lives of thousands of children from then on out. Children tried as adults often face lengthy prison sentences sometimes as long as life without parole. Such sentences send the message to children that if they mess up that there is absolutely no hope for rehabilitation. The laws were originally placed in order to “scare kids straight” so to speak; it was to keep them from using violence because the fear that they could spend their life in prison. Yet, minors who commit accidental crimes or are an …show more content…

According to an article provided by nbcnews.com written by Alexander Smith, 5.5% of prison deaths in the U.S. in 2011 were suicides, which is more than homicides, overdoses, and accidents combined (Smith, 2013). Unfortunately, suicide prediction rates in general are very low (Fulero & Wrightsman, 2009, p. 142-143). I would imagine that this rate would have an even lower ability in prisons, due to inadequate testing, staff being shorthanded, and a limited number of people who actually care enough to notice the warning signs which would be another reason for the large number of deaths by suicide in the prison

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In this article, it mainly focuses in on the case of Sandra Bland. Her death occurred in a Texas county jail cell, which reacted from a suicide. Her family didn 't know what really went on, but they assumed that the Law Enforcement did not seem to care about what happened to Sandra. Sandra was not the only one who was in police custody because Kindra Chapman was as well. After reading this article, I feel like there are some jails that give the opportunity of inmates to find a way on killing themselves.

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2888 Words | 12 Pages

The article goes on to say that over 3,000 people are in prison for a crime they committed as a minor. They say it is done because they are not allowed to give minors the death penalty any longer. They say that for a minor life in prison is the equivalent to the death penalty. It is then brought about that some of these children are under the of 13. The author of the goes on to say that the courts realize that the children doing these crimes are not fully mature and understanding of their crime.

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693 Words | 3 Pages

People argue that some juveniles are “too young and they don’t understand” but either way, they still broke the law and should be fairly punished. A fact stating “There are approximately 6,000 juveniles in adult jails and prisons in the United States” shows that people who have broken the law with felonies have been confined by law, no matter the age. People need to learn before they act in a similar manner, again. A similar case is a boy named Craig Price from Rhode Island who had committed multiple felonies, such as four murders and was charged as a minor, meaning he was arrested around age 16 and would get out and have his criminal record sealed at age 21. Because of this, a law was changed so that juveniles could be tried as adults with serious crimes.

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305 Words | 2 Pages

In 2013, the rate of jails for suicide rate was “46 per 100,000” compared to prisons which was “15 per 100,000.” The reason why this happens is because in prisons you are already kicked out of society, and you know you will be there for a while. Unlike prisons, jails you are just thrown from society into jail, and not sure what to expect next. You have a dog home, worried family members, and bills to pay, or maybe you left all your lights

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609 Words | 3 Pages

There are a lot of juveniles who are committing violent crimes in today's society. Most times you see a juvenile commit a violent crime and an adult turns around and does the same thing. Due to one's age, their consequences are different and it's a good thing because some minors can’t survive in prison. But when one thinks about it juveniles are only doing what they see the adults doing. Juveniles should only be charged as an adult for violent crimes such as rape, murder, and armed robbery.

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557 Words | 3 Pages

The juvenile system was designed a long time ago to try and rehabilitate also to reform juveniles that committed crimes. In some cases, juveniles today have evolved to many more adult crimes. Many of these crimes have come on the form of raping’s and murders. The original

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902 Words | 4 Pages

Many children were being sentenced to death row or to die in prison for non-homicidal crimes. This developed because the government did not see what the difference between a child and an adult committing the same crime. Before a decade ago the United States did not have a set age for which a child could be trial as an adult. They finally passed a law saying that no child shall either be sentenced to death row or die in prison. Cruel and unusual punishments developed for the minorities because instead of a black man committing a crime and getting lynched, this was the governments way of saying they could make sure they were executed and punished for the crime.

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676 Words | 3 Pages

America has the most overpopulated prisons in the world and that is because we would rather put a person (or in this case child) in prison for life than address the root of the situation. Data analyzed by Ashley Nellis, Ph.D., Research Analyst with The Sentencing Project, a project that advocates for the reform of justice policies and tackles the disparities in race and gender in the criminal sphere, reported, “ Survey research in the past 10 years consistently shows a majority of the respondents to favor trying juveniles in adult court for serious felonies, with roughly 75% of the typical adults surveyed believing that violent juvenile offenders should be treated as adults” (Neils) this attitude towards juvenile criminals is insidious to America’s youth, and does nothing to lower the crime rate. The real question is not when should juveniles receive life sentences, but how can we prevent it? How can we reform the Juvenile Court System in a way that actually addresses the crimes (and the needs) of Juvenile criminals so that they can be punished, rehabilitated, and reintroduced to society to actually love their lives? It is not until we see the bigger picture that we can make this

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506 Words | 3 Pages

We have seen today in society of how crime rates have been rampant and how statistics show that most of the crimes were being made by minors. I believe that when most of them look at the bottom of these young offenders come disproportionately from impoverished single-parent homes that are located in the neighbourhoods desinvertido and have high rates of learning disabilities, mental health, and substance abuse and problems with the help of the system of juvenile justice that can make a great return on a successful transition to adulthood. Their ages ranged from 20 and under, most are under fifteen years of age. Juveniles tried as adults must assume the same consequences as any other criminal and are subject to state prisons with inmates much higher and that have probably committed crimes much more tortuous then you could ever have. These minors between the ages of nine to twenty according to the offence committed or of the number of times that are prosecuted and believe that it is immutable.

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1392 Words | 6 Pages

When people commit crimes, there should be disciplined no matter what. Juveniles need to learn that their behaviors have consequences. Why should kids be given any less of a punishment for committing the same crime? According to one author, “Taking a life is murder regardless of the age of the offender, and the penalties to be imposed must not discriminate. After all, the victim’s life will never be returned, and the family will permanently lose their loved one” (“7 Top Pros and Cons of Juveniles Being Tried As Adults”).

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1678 Words | 7 Pages

There are many children in the world who are being put behind bars and detained for alleged wrongdoing without protections they are entitled to. Throughout the world, children are charged and sentenced for actions that should not be considered as adult crimes. Here in the United States, the minimum age of criminal responsibility is age 12. Law enforcement officials and those in the juvenile justice system nationwide tend to mistreat underage individuals by trying cases while working through the lens of an adult. Unfair punishments are still handed down domestically, which is in violation of Supreme Court law.

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630 Words | 3 Pages

Suicides have declined in recent years the problem is that they are still happening in jails and prisons. It may not be addressed in the media as much as it should be, however the problem is still there. Without the proper care inmates at times may not understand their circumstances, mentally ill inmates face a harder time with the reduction of mental hospitals. This transition period is especially hard for first time offenders who may not know how long it may take to be seen by a judge, or how long it will be till bail is posted. Nearly of all the suicides that occur half of them happen during the first week in jail ().

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435 Words | 2 Pages

One of the leading causes of death among inmates in the correctional system is suicide. The reasoning for this is the harsh conditions that they are exposed too (e.g. overcrowding, isolation, and trauma just name a few) (Smith, Woldford, Mandracchia, & Jahn, 2013). Another aspect is those who are entering correctional institutions with mental health disorder (e.g. psychotic disorder, history of addiction, as well as those having a history of suicide) are at a greater risk of committing suicide. The purpose of Smith et al. , (2013) was to gain understanding of the potential suicide among inmates, as well as to test the accuracy of dynamic of the Acquired Capability for Suicide (ACSS).

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1043 Words | 5 Pages

Annotated bibliography Childress, S. (2016, June 2). More States Consider Raising the Age for Juvenile Crime. Retrieved from PBS: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/more-states-consider-raising-the-age-for-juvenile-crime/ More states are considering to raising the age for juvenile crimes before being tried as adult because young offender's mental capacity. The idea is to cut the cost of incarcerate young offender in adult prison and ensure offenders to receive proper education and specialized care to change their behavior. Putting children in adult prison does not deter crime.

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760 Words | 4 Pages

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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