Teens are not always aware of the consequences to their actions and they take risks. The general argument made by Richard A. Serrano in his work, Young killers serving life without parole may get chance at freedom, is that juveniles who commit heinous crimes are not fully aware of their actions. More specifically, Serrano argues that juveniles are not fully matured and juveniles should not be charged as adults. The author asserts, “Adolescents, because of their immaturity, should not be deemed as culpable as adults…”(Serrano). In this passage, Serrano is suggesting that immaturity leads teens to act inappropriate for their age because they have not yet become adults. Serrano also states, “But they also are not innocent children whose crimes…
Throughout the book, Humes introduces the reader to several youthful offenders as they pass through the juvenile justice system. These offenders come from a variety of backgrounds, and have committed a variety of crimes, but most of them were involved in violent felonies. A dividing issue within the juvenile justice system is whether to transfer juvenile offenders to the adult criminal justice system. Humes clearly illustrates that making this distinction based on age- sixteen in California- is arbitrary and flawed. One boy shot the couple that employed him, and that he claimed to love, in the back of the head with a shotgun, point blank. The boy spent his time in court giggling, waving to his parents, lying on the stand, and showing no remorse. However, because Ronald Duncan was nine days shy of sixteen when he committed this heinous crime, he cannot be transferred to adult court. As such, the maximum amount of time the system can keep him off the street is until he is twenty-five. That is a maximum sentence of only nine years for a premeditated double homicide. Geri Vance’s case stands in startling contrast. Coerced into a robbery, he and his partner attempted to steal cash at gunpoint from a front desk clerk at a motel.…
Historically, children have been regarded as constitutionally different from adults. This fact is evident in the way past cases have been decided. Certain juvenile characteristics such as their “ immaturity, impetuosity, and failure to appreciate risks and consequences” illustrates the clear discrepancy between children and adults. Furthermore, the majority contend that instances that call for punishment as severe as life imprisonment without parole will be exceedingly uncommon and rare. Requiring that all juvenile convicted of homicide are sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole regardless of age or other mitigating factors violates the principle of proportionality.…
He’s thirty-three years old, waking up on a cold, hard bed, eating “nutritious” food, scared of the other inmates, knowing his life will end in prison, all for a crime he committed when he was fourteen. He knows that he has a lot longer to serve as he was given a life sentence. This man described, who was once a child delinquent, is like many other children in America who faced the same fate. Since the very first court case of a child murderer, the debate of whether children should be tried as adults has been a raging discussion.…
Often times it is easier to neglect the inevitability of death, but there is no neglecting the further rebuked notion of murder. The world is quite familiar with this utmost evil and shows no tolerance, but when it comes to the instance of a child who has committed the same crime, the rationale of justice is flipped on its head. There are many conflicts to be raised by two major viewpoints. Those who believe that adolescents deserve mandatory life in prison are understandably hurt and angered by their losses, but they disregard the sheer weight of certain particulars. When a juvenile is convicted of such an act, their age and environment in which they were raised prove to be reasonable mitigation for their horrid conducts.…
If one looks at the background of juvenile crimes, they would find that there has been much development on the trials of adolescents and how they were viewed. Children have been described as the future, the greatest resource, and the hope for a better tomorrow. Children have been viewed as lacking in self-control by many Americans. “ Juveniles in adult institutions are five time more likely to be sexually assaulted, twice as likely to beaten by staff, and fifty percent more likely to be attacked with a weapon than minors in juvenile facilities” (White). They are usually beaten or harassed by hardened, adult criminals. For centuries, criminal youngsters have been on the wrong side of justice. In the 1800’s, the belief was shared by the public that juveniles and adult offenders should be prisoned…
In the documentary, “Criminal Kids Life Sentence, Children in Prison Documentary”, published on Youtube in 2016, discusses about the cruelty death row punishment kids faced in the United States Juvenile Justice System before the year 2010, and still do if the crime is any higher than murder now.. “The United States is the only country in the world that condemns children for life in prison.” quoted as part of the documentary. The social problems addressed in this documentary include juvenile delinquency, low-income families, kids becoming a part of the govt. debtors’ prison, criminology, and corruption in our justice system. The major theoretical approaches conflict theory, “which emphasizes the role of coercion and power in producing social…
Over the past years Juveniles have been fighting in court for being tried as adults. Many people agree or disagree on that decision, are they Juveniles, Children, or they adults? Writers like Adam Liptak, Marjie Lundstrom, Greg Krikorian, and Paul Thompson have maelstrom the ways of the mind of teenagers or consider their committed crimes to be adjured. The things that go through a teen’s brain are starting and unbearable to hear or imagine. Between the ages of 12 through 17, minors have been committing crimes that make their way down to death row. They look at juveniles on how unreliable and inconsistent they are on making bad decisions. But often minors bring unparticular brutally attracting impulsive claims on their behalf’s on their crimes.…
Youth offenders should never be tried as an adult. Youth offenders know little about living life and yet some people believe that giving life in prison to a teenager is humane. Alternatives exist and should be implemented prior to making a decision that practically ends a life before it even blossoms. The documentary on “When Kids Get Life” demonstrates some sociological theories that can be tied to the story about an individual named Jacob Ind.…
Society’s legal system before the 1700s was very different from what it is today, and punishment has made a huge turn around that is almost unbelievable to study. Criminals have gone from cruel and harsh punishment to obtaining on bail or just pay a fine for their crimes. In modern times, society is use to see criminals paying for their crimes in prison doing two years, 10 years, and sometimes life. The Prison system is very modern compare to the old punishment criminals use to obtain. Physical punishment was use back in history as well as corporal punishment and capital punishment. Laws have change within time creating too many rights for the criminal and giving light punishment. Punishment and the correction system make drastic changes every century, and the understandings of both are complicated do to their changes. A part of society wants harsh punishment to comeback and the other big part are not agreeing with incarceration it all.…
This research paper will examine whether or not juveniles that commit violent crimes should be tried as an adult. Through research, I will establish an argument that children who commit the crimes of an adult should be punished as an adult. Data based on experience and observation detailing the number of juvenile offenders that are housed in adult prisons and jails, as well as the number of prisoners serving life sentences that were earned by committing violent crimes before the age of 15 will be included in this research paper. Finally, I suggest that children who commit crimes that are considered violent enough to even be considered for adult criminal court should in fact be tried in that very venue.…
Adolescence and the death penalty, two words more commonly seen together as of late. With growing number of young adult being tried and sentenced as adults for violent crimes the question rises why did they commit does age matter to the jury when they are put on trial?…
Juvenile Justice has been a prominent controversy in present day society. We can observe how the majority of crimes committed are being perpetrated by adolescents. The disputation arises on whether the Supreme Court justice should abolish mandatory life in prison for pubescents who commit the immorality of murder or authorize the punishment with parole. Although many can challenge this contrary issue, I concur with ideology of the Supreme Court ruling that juveniles who engage in murder could not be sentenced to life in prison due to the protection the 8th amendment granting defense from cruel and unusual punishment.…
German Singer Q’orianka Kilcher once stated this quote about juveniles. “I think it's 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.” This quote approaches one of America’s biggest question about juvenile justice. Should minors who have committed heinous crimes against the American Society be tried like an adult and given punishments like life in prison? This question was answered in a Supreme Court ruling that stated juveniles couldn’t be sentenced life in prison because minors were still minors, regardless of their crimes. However, despite this ruling,…
In recent discussion of Juvenile Justice, a controversial issue has been whether juveniles should be tried as adults in adult courts for heinous crimes they have committed. On one hand, some argue that they should not be tried as adults and do not deserve harsh sentences but as children seeking help. On the other hand, however, others argue that those who commit such heinous crimes ought to be punished no matter the age. The juvenile court was created to handle juvenile offenders on the basis of their youth rather than their crimes. The purpose of juvenile court is treatment and guidance rather than punishment. Juveniles don't have the knowledgeable or moral capacity to understand the consequences of their actions; similarly, they lack the same capacity to be trial defendants. Juveniles today are more knowledgeable and cultured at a younger age; they understand the implications of violence and how violent weapons are used. It is irrational to argue that a juvenile, who sees the effect of violence around him in the news every day, does not understand what killing really is. The fact that “adolescent killers” know how to load and shoot a gun or use a knife to kill is an indicator that they understand exactly what they're doing.…