Cmrj 302 Should Juvenile Be Tried as Adults
Since the beginning of human time there have been sins, delinquent actions, crimes, and with all of this, punishment for those actions. From Cain and Able until today, the 21st Century, we still deal with these problems. And what’s worse is that now it is the children who are committing these crimes. Our, so called, future of tomorrow. The next generation of this country.
Throughout recorded time, juvenile delinquency has been the very biggest issue to tackle. In the 15th century, the parens patriae concept was common and described parental care by the state or guardian of the community. Children were property and punishment was delivered from the family and/or public punishment dealt by the village and in public. The juvenile justice system in the 19th Century adopted the parens patriae concept and provided the legal structure for the juvenile court system. In the late 1800’s reform schools were created and started, where reform was the main ideological theory, to instill in delinquent children; principals and morals to attempt to stray they away from future crime. Today, we still have trouble determining whether or not to try juveniles as adults, how to punish them, what works and what doesn’t. When a juvenile kills, do they instantly become an adult? Do they maintain some kind of innocence of childhood, despite the severity of their actions?
These are the plaguing questions in our American judicial system today. The violent acts of juvenile offenders continue to make headlines and are becoming more violent and unfortunately more frequently. So today, the question is, should juvenile be tried as adults? Yes. Yes, I believe that juveniles should be tried as adults. However, I also believe there should be a few exceptions. This is not really a black and white issue. Exceptions should be put into place regarding, what type of crimes, age of the offender and what kind of punishments should be issued. This is what I will attempt to explain.
Throughout recorded time, juvenile delinquency has been the very biggest issue to tackle. In the 15th century, the parens patriae concept was common and described parental care by the state or guardian of the community. Children were property and punishment was delivered from the family and/or public punishment dealt by the village and in public. The juvenile justice system in the 19th Century adopted the parens patriae concept and provided the legal structure for the juvenile court system. In the late 1800’s reform schools were created and started, where reform was the main ideological theory, to instill in delinquent children; principals and morals to attempt to stray they away from future crime. Today, we still have trouble determining whether or not to try juveniles as adults, how to punish them, what works and what doesn’t. When a juvenile kills, do they instantly become an adult? Do they maintain some kind of innocence of childhood, despite the severity of their actions?
These are the plaguing questions in our American judicial system today. The violent acts of juvenile offenders continue to make headlines and are becoming more violent and unfortunately more frequently. So today, the question is, should juvenile be tried as adults? Yes. Yes, I believe that juveniles should be tried as adults. However, I also believe there should be a few exceptions. This is not really a black and white issue. Exceptions should be put into place regarding, what type of crimes, age of the offender and what kind of punishments should be issued. This is what I will attempt to explain.