SOC 2600
Dr. Taylor
09th March 2016
Should Juveniles be tried as adults?
In 2010, juveniles committed 8% of homicides. (PBS 2014) When it comes to trying juveniles as adults, many people think that this is too harsh of a punishment for young criminals, but others think that they should get what they deserve. There is a famous saying “do the crime, do the time”. Our society tends to think that juveniles do not have the mental, and physical stabilities that adults do. Over the years, our society has changed their views and started treating children/juveniles as young adults. Some people think that juveniles should be given a second chance since they are our children of the future, but others disagree and believe that juveniles know what they are doing and that they should be tried as adults. Each juvenile case can be different and should be treated accordingly looking at the severity of the crime. Depending on the crime and the severity of the crime can depict what kind of punishment a juvenile can face. In 1899 the U.S. opened the world's first juvenile court in Chicago. When opening the first court, they …show more content…
For the people who said that they should be tried as adults, they believe that juveniles should be held responsible for their actions, that juveniles are not kids that they are young adults, and that by forgiving the juvenile for the crime they did, would just make them think their actions are okay. For the people who think that juveniles should not be tried as adults, they believe that juveniles are physically incapable of thinking like an adult, therefore should not be treated like one. Both sides have valid points in backing up their reasoning’s. I think it is important to look at both sides of the arguments before deciding if you think juveniles should be tried as adults or