Introduction
The issue with juveniles being tried as adults in today's society was created to handle juvenile offenders based on their youth rather than their crimes. Many states passed laws making it easier to try certain youthful offenders as adults. Many people believe that teens should be held accountable for their actions and tried as adults. If you are worried or care about the punishment being committed, then simply don't commit the crime, knowing you will face numerous years. While juveniles may be kids, they should be able to distinguish right from wrong, especially in extreme circumstances. Children are most often a product of their home environment. Victims and the families of victims still deserve a sense of justice or accountability if one of their family members is affected or even killed by a juveniles' offender and society takes a big role in it. If you see something bad happening, speak up and tell the police that you have a right to freedom of speech which we, the people, stand not to speak up for. Giving adolescents very hard sentences gives the feeling that there is no desire for their future and no expectation of them regularly getting to be anything besides a lawbreaker and a convict. This will teach them that being in jail is not a good thing. This is damaging for all of society, especially young people and their families.
The Debate Over Charging Juveniles as Adults
"The only effective way to reduce and prevent juvenile Crime is to balance tough enforcement measures with targeted, effective and intervention initiatives", stated "Janet Rome". Yes, some juveniles should be tried as adults for what they did. For example, for a murderer that intends to kill, Premeditated means are considered beforehand. Trying minors as adults will toughen the system and hold someone responsible. Due to juveniles being on the rise for murder, robbery with a weapon, and rape. Then, they should be tried as adults in Florida for these reasons. And solving this problem reduces crime on the street and teaches accountability for the crime they committed. Minors must be fully culpable for their behaviour if we are to deter future delinquents from committing violent crimes. Setting this example and making it known that our cities will be tough on crimes will serve as a wake-up call. Like the three strikes law, the threat of a harsh sentence will most certainly make children think twice before they commit violent crimes. Since 1993, at least 43 states have passed laws making it easier for children to be tried as adults. A juvenile justice bill is awaiting final Congressional approval and contains similar measures for the federal system. Trying minors as adults and subsequently imprisoning them in adult prisons has destructive effects on young prisoners. Young prisoners are vulnerable to various vices in adult prisons.
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Crime Is On The Rise
In the past few years nationwide, the Department of Juvenile Justice Centre has recorded many crimes committed by juvenile offenders. This is a scary fact because it shows how the environmental boundaries are being more used and more blurred for these irrational irresponsible young people. Many of them area unit responsive to simple, imperfect, and not good usage of the juvenile justice system, and use that to their advantage. When these conditions force or break them open to face reality, such as a life of long sentences with minimal at least or no chances at coming back to get out, they develop or evolve into stress and depression that increase their likelihood of killing or committing suicide.
Reducing crime rates make youth access to handguns harder and make guns safer to reduce gun‐related crimes by juveniles. Scientific research shows key organic process variations between youth and adults that impact youth's a higher understanding process, impulse, control, and susceptibility to peer pressure. While these variations don't excuse youth from responsibility for their actions, the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized that youth are less blameworthy than adults and more capable of change and rehabilitation (Roper v. Simmons, Graham v. Florida, J.D.B. v. North Carolina, Miller v. Alabama, Montgomery v. Louisiana).
“The real important for us as a society to remember that the youth within juvenile justice systems are, most of the time, youths who simply haven't had the right mentors and supporters around them - because of circumstances beyond their control” stated by 'Q’Orianka Kilcher”. Punishing kids constant approach we have a tendency to penalize adults doesn't advance public safety. Research also shows that as youth mature, they are substantially less likely to re-offend; locking children up for years will extend their incarceration well beyond the time needed for them to be rehabilitated Juveniles can be tried as adults for crimes ranging from kidnapping, murder, rape, arson, robbery, torture, assault, and more. Some of the cases that are sent to adult court are petty crimes, such as: underage drinking, possession of a controlled substance, and other minor crimes. The question is whether or not they must be tried as adults.
On the other hand, juveniles may lead a person to wonder what brought a child to commit these crimes. One would possibly any examine that if a juvenile person is engaged in alleged “adult” activities, what kind of activities might a child choose to be involved in adulthood, everyone has a choice even a child. Many kids within the juvenile systems return from broken homes and family members who have conjointly been in and out of the scheme, making it an easier way to prosecute juveniles as adults. But some benefits with a juvenile being tried as an adult are It shows that a crime is a crime, No matter your age No matter what age someone is, they have to learn to require responsibility for his or her actions and be created to grasp the implications of dangerous choices. If teenagers don't seem to be educated right from wrong before they transition into adults, they need the next tendency to commit a lot of crimes.
Reasons Why Should Juveniles Be Tried As Adults
The primary reason why most juveniles face adult justice system is to inflict harsh punishments that deter them from future criminality, Which is a pretty big deal for most teens. What most 18- year olds are thing they are going to get let off easy but, not so satisfied is the fact that they are no longer being tried as a child for crimes in juvenile courts. So questions that are ask frequently are: Does one or two years younger than 18 make much of a difference? Is it fair for one person, just seventeen years of age, to be tried in a juvenile court, receiving a lesser sentence for under than someone who is just 5 months older who committed the same crime? Are juveniles under the age of 18 fully qualified of being held responsible for their actions for what have taken placed or are all juveniles mentally unable of realizing what were their actions for what they did will have consequence after the fact? However, according to a research report by the School of law at the University of California, there is minimal, or no deterrence achieved through prosecution of minors as adults. According to the report, eighty-two percent of juveniles released from prisons in fifteen states were re-arrested (Scialabba, 2016).
Juveniles being tried as an adult. Youths are irrational, immature and continuously require parental figures to guide them and direct them positively towards changing their behavior. However, when incarcerated with adults, their guidance and protection are from criminals making them prone to negative influence. Thus, once in jail there is no going back, the various negative experiences is not a good thing when you in their like the assault, rape, and harassment pushes them to adopt similar bad behavior. In a bid to survive the jail house, they look for protection to help them out and in most instances end up joining gangs so they can feel safe and utilizing weapons to keep on them. Moreover, in adult prisons, children lack rehabilitative measures of counseling, education, and training (Castro, Muhammad, & Arthur, 2012, pp. P2).
Thus, upon release, the experiences and deficiencies of the system make it difficult for them to fit in and experience normal life. Hence, they revert to old behavior or worse that cost their freedom and eventually end up in prison again. It argues that individuals under eighteen are immature, irresponsible, highly susceptible to manipulation and capable of change.
Moreover, psychologists in agreement support the notion that minor’s mental development is not at its peak, hence, do fully grasp right and wrong. In this regard, the government prohibits minors from adult responsibilities such as smoking, drinking, voting and joining the military. Therefore, believing that they are not capable of the above activities and then holding them to the standards of adults is unfair and wrong, as it is clear that minors are adults (McCrea, 2008, pp.3). Furthermore, most of them commit criminal acts because of harmful as opposed to intent or because one of your friends doing something bad so you doing it do but you can make a big mistake and end up somewhere else. Thus, it is prejudicial to subject a child’s whole life to a long life of condemnation and suffering for mistakes; they did in their prime years.
Children are killed by there own kind which are children. Teens are killed by which have been repeatedly by teens. And still we refuse to punish them because 'they are too young to understand that what they are doing is wrong.' An excuse most heard from parents, it is also an excuse too often heard after lives are lost and ruined. Without a tougher punishment system, society is left with a high percentage of delinquents and a rising percentage of crime victims. Juvenile court systems have been a far cry from justice for many victims. Families of murder victims, rape targets and victims of other serious crimes have been abandoned without a sense of closure or protection. Some feel like their loss was left unacknowledged.
The Ethical and Legal Considerations
Indeed, in such a lenient juvenile system, victims are more often than not left unacknowledged. Most people agree with Sterling Burnett of the National Center for Policy Analysis in Dallas: 'The only way to treat the victim as a full human being—to fully honor the memory of the victim—is to punish the perpetrator. Since 1993, at least 43 states have passed laws making it easier for children to be tried as adults. A juvenile justice bill is currently awaiting final Congressional approval and contains similar measures for the federal system. Proposition 21 [which stiffened penalties for juvenile offenders], from last year's [2000] California elections, was passed and, although it has stirred much opposition and controversy, it has molded the image that society will have no tolerance for crime. The cost of implementing such measures will never even reach the immeasurable cost of lives lost.
Some offenses may be forgiveable, but for extreme cases like murder, just punishment must be given to the offender. It is a way for a victim’s family to gain some peace or understanding, peace, especially since they cannot get their loved or they only child one who was taken from them back it just leaves a leap in your heart you can’t take back. Juvenile detention courts can give you many options and recommend counseling, but I feel like that not enough they are going to abuse the power they have such as, house arrest you can barely leave the house, curfews be in the house at a certain time mostly likely some of them don’t come in the house on time, and other forms of harsh punishment rather than giving a jail time let them sit and think about what they did. In adult courts judges, Have fewer choices or you going away for a long time, and sometimes the only option to choose is prison and that’s not a good place you want to be. Kids under the age of 18 are not perfect innocents. Many of them begin thinking and acting more maturely. Punishing them for their wrongdoings teaches them accountability, which they can bring with them until they grow old.
Conclusion
Thus, Juveniles should be tried as an adult, A child understand more than what they know and doing the wrong is not a good idea. Also, Juveniles should be tried because they know right from wrong and harming or killing something you have more than enough sense; Even if you are legal or not yet they should be tried as an adult. Prosecution of minors as adults represent a progress in today’s justice system. Today’s society, there are multiple action crimes going on. Over age Adults are not the only ones that does irresponsible commit crimes. One issue today is that juveniles offenses should be tried, They are old enough for the responsibility that comes behind the crimes they are committing; whether juvenile offenders should be tried as adults in criminal court. This is an old saying that is often by people that lives in neighborhoods used in this case of young juveniles committing crimes they know that are responsible for going to jail is “ If you are at age or Old enough to do the crime, then you are old enough for what you did to do the time for what you committed .” When you turn a certain age it over there is no going back one false move, Your life is done and you can be done. For example, stealing such as heavy shop lifting, breaking and entering, arrested, murder for something you didn’t do but you didn’t do it your friend it but its only evidence on you. At the end it falls on you or whoever did it things, Don’t fall easy in life for anyone. You can be tried as an adult a juvenile.
Reference
- Arya, N. (2012). Key Facts: Youth in the justice system: youth crime. Campaign for Youth Justice, 1-2.
- Equal Justice Initiative. (2017). Children in prisons: Deaths in prison. Retrieved October 12, 2017, from https://eji.org/children-prison/death-in-prison-sentences
- McCrea, H. (2008). Juveniles Should Not Be Tried in Adult Courts. Should Juveniles Be Tried as Adults? Gale Publishers, 2-4.
- Scialabba, N. (2016). Children’s Rights Litigation: Should juveniles be charged as adults in the criminal justice system? American Bar Association, 1. Retrieved October 12, 2017, from https://www.americanbar.org/publications/litigation-committees/childrens-rights/articles/2016/should-juveniles-be-charged-as-adults.html
- McLeod, S. (2011). Bandura - social learning theory. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html Miller, R. N., & Applegate, B. K. (2015).
- Adult crime, adult time? Benchmarking public views on punishing serious juvenile felons. Criminal Justice Review, 40(2), 151- 168. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0734016814546039
- Onifade, E., Wilkins, J., Davidson, W., Campbell, C., & Petersen, J. (2011). A https://jlc.org/issues/youth-tried-adults
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