In the documentary “When Kids Get Life” by Ofra Bikel we see five men who were sentenced to life in prison for committing crimes in their teens. We hear the stories of how it happened, why it happened, and what life is like for them today. This documentary sheds light on the battle that juveniles face when they commit crimes and the judicial system. This documentary relates heavily in the material we learn because although it is about teenagers who receive life in prison, the judicial system plays a key role.
In this documentary kids behind bars the goals that are being achieved by institutions designed for youth juveniles are discipline, responsibilities, able to function in society, anger management, correct character deficiencies, drug and alcohol counseling. In Texas Paul was not able to function in society. Paul was use drugs and missing curfew. He was sent to a county boot camp for six months. Another Paul from England who is just 12 years old, got caught with the police for stealing golf clubs and a pack of Pokemon cards.
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.
Juveniles that go through the rehabilitation process will be able to have a clean record after they reach 18, whereas the exact opposite if they went through the adult justice system. Stevenson feels that, “We’ve become so fearful and vengeful that we’ve thrown away children, discarded the disabled, and sanctioned the imprisonment of the sick and the weak—not because they are a threat to public safety or beyond rehabilitation but because we think it makes us seem tough, less broken.” (289) This quote represents the treatment towards juveniles in prison and how the potential of these children is wasted. The goal of rehabilitation is to help the youth understand the consequences of their actions and learn how to make better choices in the
According to the book, Lost Angeles County is the largest juvenile justice system in America; yet, the home for most of the youths who have committed grievous crimes. Home for those who seems to have a chance at rehabilitation but are sentenced to adult prison for no logical reason while some youth are freed with little consequences after committing a violent crimes. This is a shameful thing that needs to be corrected in the juvenile justice system. Two and half million children under eighteen are being arrested in the United States in a year, three out of four will be released as if nothing happened, their cases will be dismissed because they are too minor for the system to break-down or too difficult to try. The repeated offenders will receive a meaningful punishment when their offenses have progressed to a more serious level.
Video Discussion 5 The United States grapples with a troubling reality: it incarcerates more children than any other developed country. Despite comprising only 4% of the global population, the US accounts for a staggering 22% of the world's prison population. These statistics paint a grim picture of a justice system in need of reform, particularly concerning its treatment of juvenile offenders. Though he came out a changed man, Jeff Wallace's journey through the juvenile justice system shows how much change is needed within the system.
Juvenile Life Without Parole: An Overview. " The Sentencing Project, 2019, www.sentencingproject.org/publications/juvenile-life-without-parole/. This source provides an overview of the issue of juvenile life without parole and the policy changes that have been made regarding it. The Sentencing Project is a non-profit organization that works to reform the criminal justice system, with a particular focus on reducing mass incarceration " Changing the Criminal Justice System on Behalf of Children." PBS NewsHour, Public Broadcasting Service, 15 Dec. 2020, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/classroom/2020/12/bryan-stevenson-on-changing-the-criminal-justice-system-on-behalf-of-children/#:~:text=Stevenson%20helped%20to%20push%20a,or%20life%20imprisonment%20without%20parole."
they are far more able than adults to learn new skills, find new values, and re embark on a better, law-abiding life” (“Minors Are Not…”). Juveniles can rehabilitate from their mistakes and change their lives. They may need a little help to change, but the help and resource they need are not found in prisons. Sentencing juveniles as adults causes them to lose hope in their future. It makes these teens feel as though they can never accomplish anything in the future because of their one mistake; however, that is far from the truth.
The film focuses on individuals growing up in an area Louisville, Kentucky is known for crimes, drug/ alcohol abuse, behavioral issues. Living in an area with negative energy, where violence and anger is and the outcome of these issues. Individuals are locked up for non-violent crimes such as skipping school. The narrator within the film states, “getting locked up is a part of everyday life.” Meaning the chances of getting locked up within that community can be high/ risky.
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.
Every day in America, an average of 1,200 youth of the 5 million people are incarcerated in youth detention facilities, and nearly 200,000 youth enter the adult criminal justice system each year; most for non-violent crimes. Despite the life-altering consequences of incarceration in an adult prison, relatively little attention has been given to these youth. These children lose more than their freedom when they enter adult prisons; they lose educational and psychological benefits offered in the juvenile-detention facilities. The worst case scenario, juveniles are more likely to suffer from sexual abuse and violence at the hands of vicious murderers and it will negatively influence their growth and development. A child is not an adult, they are legally allowed to receive proper care and benefits even when serious crimes have been committed.
Imagine being a child imprisoned for committing a crime for which you did not understand the consequences. Alone and afraid, with only hardened criminals and psychopaths as adult role models, you live in fear. Through a vicious combination of physical, sexual, emotional, and mental abuse, there is no option but to turn back to crime as an adult, and continue the cycle. This is a daily reality for thousands of American juveniles. Yet, we continue to call it the juvenile justice system.
There are differences between a juvenile court and criminal court in the United States. The focus of the juvenile justice system is on rehabilitation, in hope of deterring the minor away from a life of crime so they will not commit a crime again as an adult. In contrast, the criminal justice system focuses on the punishment and often bases the sentencing outcome on the criminal history of the youth. In a study conducted, Butler (2011) showed that the participants’ experience with adult jails and prisons show that those facilities may instill fear but are otherwise emotionally—and often physically—dangerous for youth. Many of the adult prisoners, who were minors when they enter the adult institution, felt they were forced to “grow
In today’s world there are countless crimes committed every single day. “In 2015, there were 1.42 million total arrests, at a rate of 3,641 arrests per 100,000 residents” (State of California, Department of Justice). Grown adults are not the only people being arrested every year, there are also juveniles, children, being arrested every day. One topic of controversy today is whether or not juveniles who commit these crimes should be tried as adults in criminal court. There are many differences between the justice system for adults and the justice system for juveniles.
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.
