Juvenile Justice Essay
Sandhu 1
Wasim Sandhu
Mrs. Klein
English 10C
27 October 2014
Proper Justice For Juveniles
If a teenager commits a crime, it doesn’t make it any less a crime. Whether it is a misdemeanor or felony, the age of the adolescent does not alter the level of offense. It does not, however, mean that the juvenile should be tried as an adult in court. Juveniles are not adults and the seriousness of their crime cannot change that either. It is not right to give a teenager an adult sentence for a violent crime because kids are not competent to stand trial in an adult court, even if he or she had intention of the crime. Nor is it right to deliver a stiff sentence to adolescents who have their entire life in front of them. I believe that juveniles should not be tried and sentenced as adults for their crimes, no matter how despicable they may be.
Teenagers are far from adulthood, and you don’t need studies to prove that. Even so, numerous studies have been conducted on the teenage brain to show the same results. In 2001, a research group in California discovered that during the teen years, children undergo a severe loss of brain tissue in the frontal lobes, responsible for reasoning. This research helps explain the erratic behavior of teenagers, and why they cannot fully comprehend the consequences of their irrational actions. While it cannot be used to excuse their homicidal behavior, it can be used as evidence that teenagers are not yet adults (Thompson, “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains”).
Common sense seems to indicate that instead of placing adolescents in an adult court, they should be in juvenile courts where they can be punished more fairly and even rehabilitated.
Sandhu 2
Even with countless studies and research, many will argue that teenagers are tried as adults because they commit crimes with intention and without morals. Although this is a valid argument, I have to contradict that killing someone or stealing something with intention
Wasim Sandhu
Mrs. Klein
English 10C
27 October 2014
Proper Justice For Juveniles
If a teenager commits a crime, it doesn’t make it any less a crime. Whether it is a misdemeanor or felony, the age of the adolescent does not alter the level of offense. It does not, however, mean that the juvenile should be tried as an adult in court. Juveniles are not adults and the seriousness of their crime cannot change that either. It is not right to give a teenager an adult sentence for a violent crime because kids are not competent to stand trial in an adult court, even if he or she had intention of the crime. Nor is it right to deliver a stiff sentence to adolescents who have their entire life in front of them. I believe that juveniles should not be tried and sentenced as adults for their crimes, no matter how despicable they may be.
Teenagers are far from adulthood, and you don’t need studies to prove that. Even so, numerous studies have been conducted on the teenage brain to show the same results. In 2001, a research group in California discovered that during the teen years, children undergo a severe loss of brain tissue in the frontal lobes, responsible for reasoning. This research helps explain the erratic behavior of teenagers, and why they cannot fully comprehend the consequences of their irrational actions. While it cannot be used to excuse their homicidal behavior, it can be used as evidence that teenagers are not yet adults (Thompson, “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains”).
Common sense seems to indicate that instead of placing adolescents in an adult court, they should be in juvenile courts where they can be punished more fairly and even rehabilitated.
Sandhu 2
Even with countless studies and research, many will argue that teenagers are tried as adults because they commit crimes with intention and without morals. Although this is a valid argument, I have to contradict that killing someone or stealing something with intention