Unquestionably, the death sentencing of juvenile offenders has been relatively a controversial issue due to the aftermath of Thompson v. Oklahoma (1988) and Stanford v. Kentucky (1989), which were landmark cases that dealt with capital punishment of a minor that overturned the death sentence because it was classified as cruel and unusual punishment. In addition, the Supreme Court found that minors lack the experience, perspective, and judgement expected of adults, therefore the death penalty may be a severe punishment for minors. Besides that, the application of the death penalty for juvenile offenders is creating significant international concern with the United States being one of countries to currently allow juvenile offenders to be executed.
In a recent media article, Introduction: The Youth Criminal. Justice Act — A new era in Canadian juvenile justice?, the authors talk about what at-risk youth suffered before the signing of the YCJA. For example, a lot of juvenile offenders went to court without a representation because they either couldn’t afford one or they demonstrated little to no knowledge of the criminal justice system. This ties into the issue I’m addressing because it talks about the lack of investment the federal and provincial government put in to help troubled youth who come from an unpleasant past. This article also proposes the fact that youth aren’t given proper legal care from the moment of their arrest.
Crimes are happening around us whether we pay attention to them or not. Those crimes as dangerous as murder are committed by all ages but should younger criminal in their juvenile age received the same punishment as older criminals. On June 25, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles committed murder could not be sentenced to life in prison because it violates the Eighth Amendment.(On-Demand Writing Assignment Juvenile Justice) Advocates on the concurring side believes that mandatory life in prison is wrong and should be abolish. However, the dissenting side believe that keeping the there should be a life in prison punishment for juvenile who commit heinous crime regardless of their age.
One of the most controversial debates in today’s society is whether or not the court systems should try juveniles as adults. How is trying an adolescent as an adult ethical? Although everyone should be held responsible for their actions, it is scientifically proven the brain continues to mature until at least the age of twenty five. Juveniles should not be tried as adults when they are physically incapable of thinking like one, all juveniles deserve a second chance to better their lives through rehabilitation or counseling which is what the juvenile court systems focus more on and sending juveniles to adult prisons is not only dangerous, but it exposes juveniles to more violent criminals in prison.
Why are minorities commonly chosen as a threat to our local police force? There has been massive incarcerations of minorities. Some are even being murdered. With all of the incarcerations and killing going on, it has drawn major attention. Just in the year two-thousand and ten it was estimated that there had been seventy thousand and seven hundred eighty two (70,782) juveniles incarcerated in the U.S.
I do not think that we should get rid of the juvenile court system. These youth are at a critical point in their life where they can still be rehabilitated with the correct tools and approaches. It would be unfair to subject juveniles to adult court due to the fact they may not even have the mental capability yet to know what is going on, or even understand their crime, or the extent of it. Furthermore, due to not having a fully developed mental status positive change such as rehabilitation can be extremely useful.
Juvenile justice system, which has been described as “a field where the cure aggravates the disease” (Rosenberg), is notorious about turning non-violent first-offenders into real criminals. Since the offenses are all very minor, what will work better for these youngsters is to take their first encounter with the law and use it as an opportunity to put them back onto the right track. In Youth Courts, they are expected to hear disapproval from their peers, whose opinions they care much more than those of adults. Once through the Youth Court, these teens are expected to serve on the jury as a part of their punishment.
The opposition’s may think that they should be convicted as an adult because crimes are horrible things and they should be convicted as an adult rather they are an adult or not. Juveniles are often prompted by adults or even other peers to do things that they know are wrong. Teen drug rehabs states, “juveniles are more vulnerable or susceptible to negative influences and outside pressures, including peer pressure,” (Ritter). Furthermore, committing the crime isn’t entirely their fault. Also the juvenile brain isn’t as developed as an that of an adult’s which makes them more likely to act impulsively when giving hard decisions.
It really doesn’t matter the age of the criminal, it they are committing crimes that are inherently adult in nature, then yes, these criminals absolutely should be punished as an adult regardless of their age. Our courts, shouldn’t ever allow anyone, child or adult, get away with murder. In todays world ,there are many crimes being committed Adults are not the only ones that are committed crimes In today issue is that juvenile offenders should be tried as adult in a criminal court However many disagree and they believe if these young offenders are capable of committing a crime like murder, no matter their maturity, they should be tried as adults. The criminal justice system has a very particular way in dealing with the law when it comes to young adults .
It was not until the 20th century that things started changing in the way that children were charged for an offence. Children and juveniles were charged just as much as an adult would have been. Children and juveniles were eligible for the same kind of punishment as an adult… Including the death penalty. Over the year, the attitude towards juveniles who committed or where involved in crimes started to change.
Crimes are naturally committed daily by perpetrators, with those perpetrators predominately being juveniles. Crimes committed by young offenders, generally aged sixteen and under, often involve some sort of assault or theft. Criminals are often accused for crimes and sentenced a lengthy prison time. However, juvenile offenders are offered different options than adult prisoners. Juvenile offenders can serve their full prison time, follow the route through boot camp, or serve a certain amount of prison time and then probation.
education, juvenile courts, and psychological clinic is gathering information concerning violent crimes, from which can draw a better and accurate conclusion to the public. The factors can be difficult to the public, especially when it involves with the mental and physical conditioning of a troubled teen. Additionally, each crime committed by a juvenile is the aftermath of a complication of reasons, whose backgrounds is connected with their actions. There are different psychological theories that explain a juvenile misconduct and how their genetics affects their ability to be normal citizens. Psychological Analysis Psychologists have been active scientist with juvenile delinquency for nearly a decade, providing both medical treatment and evaluative assistances for a total of psychological assessments.
A juvenile by law is also considered an infant. The legal term for infant describes a person under the age of 18. The age of when a child is considered to be a juvenile does vary from state to state but overall it is 18. A juvenile court system was started in the early 1900’s because juveniles lack the ability to understand their actions and take responsibility unlike adults. In the United States the death penalty is for offenders who have committed heinous crimes and rehabilitation for that offender is not possible.
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.
The underlying philosophy of the juvenile system in the United States has to do with the well-being of the offenders. The focus on the system is rehabilitation, education, and protection. When in this this system, the offenders are supposed to gain all the needed tools to be able to turn their ways of life around and become a productive citizen once they are out of the system. The rehabilitation part of the system is probably the most important aspect of the program. Offenders are given the resources to become clean from drugs.
