In the article, “Kids Are Kids-Until They Commit Crimes” by Marjie Lundstrom explains how kids are treated when they commit crimes. She states, “That is, until they foul up. Until they commit crimes. And the bigger the crime the more eager we are to call them adults”(Paragraph 5). This means that kids are treated as kids, but once they commit a crime people want them to be punished as adults.…
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…
One of the hardest decisions that judges have to make is sentencing a juvenile to be tried as an adult. With the increase in violent crimes in America today, juveniles are often found in the front line of media for violent crimes. Within society as a whole, those who are under the age of 18 years old do not function as adults, which is why the law protects children from the consequences of their actions. With the harshness and severity of crimes committed by juveniles…
There are several reasons why juveniles commit crimes and act up. Some of these can be explained by theories or in other words educated guesses. Although theories are only educated guesses they can be used to decide why juvenile delinquents come through the court systems. Theories can be helpful in determining why children or teenagers become a criminal. It also helps to determine what can help deter crimes by juveniles. In this essay theories will be explained that could fit some of the children in the following case studies.…
Not too long ago the House of Representatives approved “The Juvenile Crime Control Act of 1997” which would greatly increase the number of juveniles convicted and incarcerated in adult facilities. When I was made aware of this I took it upon myself to research juveniles tried as which in turn caused me to question whether juveniles should be tried as adult. Many claim that the age of the juvenile does not matter, if the child is old enough to do the crime they must do the time. On the contrary, I came to find that not only age but mental development in terms of cognitive development, the development of mental maturity and, formulation of personal identity have a lot to do with how the…
“On Punishment and Teen Killers”, Jennifer Jenkins, declared that teens are being tried as adults and sentenced to prison for murder at alarming rates in the united states. Also that a teenager killed a family because he wanted to “see what…
The juvenile justice system was intended to rehabilitate offenders that committed non-serious crimes. Juveniles of today seem to take advantage of this system by committing violent crimes. Juveniles think they might get off easier because they believe they will be tried as juveniles no matter the seriousness of the crime. (Estudillo, 2001). In the past years there have been laws to protect juvenile delinquents from being prosecuted as adults. There was a rising violent crime rate for juvenile offenders in the late 1980’s and 1990. To reduce the violent crime courts transferred their violent juvenile offenders to more strict adult courts. During the mid-1990’s many states adopted laws so that it would make it easier to try juveniles in adult courts (Juvenile Justice, 2006). Violent juvenile offenders should be tried as adults. There are many crimes that a juvenile can commit that are heinous and violent enough for them to be tried in adult courts. Many juveniles are capable of knowing the difference between right and wrong, and what they should do and not do.…
Juveniles makes bad decision but it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re all bad, majority of them steal or choose a bad path. Everybody makes mistakes but doesn’t mean they all should get a punishment that makes them suffer for the rest of their life. Researches say “among them the discovery of striking changes taking place during the teen years. These findings have…
A vote on the topic conveyed that more people liked the idea that children should be tried as adults and that the age should stay the same. “kids are kids and adults are adults. The age difference should not be different for the people committing a crime” a debater explained. It can be supported by a logical statement if a kid is old enough to conjure up ideas and act upon them viousously they should prepare for the consequences and the effects that the future holds in store. J Perkins writes that “further violent actions require uniform punishment regardless of age”. A perspective such as J Perkins stems from an traditional society perspective as stated above there are consequences for one’s actions . No matter age, color, religon the same rule applies to anyone and everyone under the law. Statstics have shown that, “the number of juveniles arrested for such violent crimes increased by 50 percent”. Supporting that the ideology of juvenile delinquents are the same as the ideology of adults. Because they know it is morally wrong but choose not to accept the rule of…
A worldwide situation in criminal justice is the youth, who are being tried as adults for their wrongdoings. Although juveniles commit heinous crimes such as robbery, murder, or even rape, they are not mature enough to understand what they are doing. In the article “Kids Are Kids-Until They Commit Crimes” a 12-year-old boy got sentenced life in prison after he beat a 6- year-old girl to her death (Lundstrom). The boy did not know the girl was going to die because he is not mature enough to know what his actions will do. These consequences should not apply to the youth because their minds are not fully developed like the adults. Because kids like to play around with each other “Now fourteen and convicted as an adult of first-degree murder, Tate…
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.…
In order for juveniles to fully understand the affects and consequences to what they have committed, adult sentencing is a better and effective consequence. This is because juvenile sentencing is too lenient for kids and youths who commit heinous crimes. For example, “little girls who rob a bank was given a 26-years-to-life prison term,”(56) stated Margie Lundstrom in “Kids Are Kids-Until They Commit Crimes”. The sentencing of 26 years to life was understandable because these were little girls committing a…
Throughout adolescence many physical, cognitive, and socioemotional changes occur. This time is a transition from childhood to adulthood. Due to these developmental changes, juveniles can participate in risky activities such as crime (Wendy, 2002). Debate on whether juveniles should be tried as adults has been a growing discussion. This debate is largely centered around the cognitive and moral competencies of juveniles.…
Trying juveniles has been a topic to the public we hear about in the judustrial system. It contains a lot of arguments which has its pros and cons. Considering being a juvenile delinquent you must commit a crime that is under the age of 18. Prosecutors can charge juveniles as adults when they are suspected of violent offenses or crime. Back in time when this happened, this treatment involved the death penalty. As of today it involves being prosecuted through adult courts and incarcerated in the adult jails and prisons. Addressing this topic is important because society is not aware what happened or what is happening to juveniles being tried as adults. After reading this paper, you will learn different offenses juveniles commit and why it leads to being tried as adults. You will know how the death penalty came in effect, ended, and the different cases that happened between times. I will talk about juveniles being prosecuted through adult courts and the benefit of it. Also juveniles being incarcerated with adults and the risks they face. My intention of writing this paper is to get you to know the research I gained from it, and hoping it interest you to do more research on it too. Do convicting a juvenile as adults helps stop crime.…
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.…