Should Kids Be Tried As Adults

INTRODUCTION: There are many controversial topics we can spend hours talking about and have different points of view on. My favorite one is the one that argues if under aged kids should be tried as adults or not. This topic has so many different points of views that there will never be an exact answer on if children should be tried as adults or not. This topic is very interesting because every case is different, meaning that because there are different variables that led kids to get in trouble we can never say that all kids should be treated as adults because their level of crime is never the same. Viewing each case as its own is the only way that someone can decide on whether or not they can be seen as kids or adults, I don’t think this topic should be generalized into a yes or no. Of course, everybody has different views on things and in these next few paragraphs I will take into consideration different people’s opinions as well as why some people think this should be a firm yes or no.

BODY
1) History and Definitions:
a) It is estimated that as many as 250,000 youth annually are prosecuted as adults.
("Juvenile Law Center." Youth in the Adult System. Campaign for Youth Justice, Jan. 2013. Web. 07 Oct. 2014.)
i) It is known that the youth that go into adult jails are five times more likely to be raped and mistreated by others in those jails.
b) Fourteen states have no minimum age for trying children as adults. Children as young as eight have been prosecuted as adults. (Arellano, Jorge N. "Children in Prison." Equal Justice Initiative. N.p., 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 01 Oct. 2014.)
c) An adult sentence is where a young person under the age of 18 is found guilty of an indictable offence for which an adult is liable to imprisonment.

TRANSITION: The law has certain requirements children under the age of eighteen must reach in order to be tried as an adult.

2) Major arguments in favor of children getting tried as
adults
a) As you grow up you know what is right and wrong because in most homes there are rules and if there isn’t there are rules at school. Children know that it is not okay to hit someone in school because they will not go out to recess if they do so. Having some sort of punishment teaches kids that there are certain things that are not acceptable at any time. (Children know when they are doing something wrong. If a 14 year old shoots someone, they should be in prison. If they kill someone, they should be tried as an adult. You don’t need to be 18 to understand the results of ending a human life. [Paige, Ariana P. "Should Children Be Tried as Adults?" The Premier Online Debate Website. N.p., 04 Jan. 2014. Web. 03 Oct. 2014.])
b) When a child is not tried as an adult on a crime that is most likely to be done by an adult, they will think that because they were cut off on the punishment it will most likely happen again and they will do it again. (Our youth today need to learn that it is not okay to commit crimes that hurt others in a way that can not be mended. Games in today’s world teach them too many things that later in life turn into reality and that is when we regret letting them get away with so many things. [North, Ivyonna. "Once a Criminal Always a Criminal." By Foxbaron. N.p., 28 June 2011. Web. 03 Oct. 2014.])
c) Children not being charged when a crime is committed will later think they have gotten away with their crime. This leads the law to charge them even if that means treating them as adults. Making a punishment for them let’s them know that no matter what age there will be consequences to their actions. (In the case of homicide, "my choice is either to charge him as an adult, or don't charge him," said John Bongivengo of the Lawrence County District Attorney's Office. "Not charging him at all wasn't feasible." [Chen, Stephanie. CNN. Cable News Network, 15 Mar. 2010. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.])

TRANSITION: The points I’ve made my research on show the lessons kids will get from their crimes that have gone too far to what their brain should even be thinking of at such a young age. I think this also shows other kids how bad their punishments can be if they ever think of doing anything like that. Prison is no joke!

3) Major arguments against children getting tried as adults
a) When a child is in court they can get away with more things if they are in an adult court because the judge might have more sympathy for someone who still “doesn’t have their brain fully developed” (Juries in adult court may be more sympathetic to a minor. ["When Juveniles Are Tried in Adult Criminal Court | Nolo.com." Nolo.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.])
b) A human brain is not fully developed until the age of 25 yet a human is treated as an adult at age 18. If the brain still has 7 years of development when it reached adult age, then kids under the age of 18 should not be tried as adults because in a couple of years they will think differently than to what they think now. Age = Maturity. (Brain research is providing new insights into what drives teenage behavior, moving lawmakers to rethink policies that treat them like adults. [Esparto, Mike. "Kids Are Not Adults: April 2013 | STATE LEGISLATURES MAGAZINE." Kids Are Not Adults SL Magazine. N.p., Mar. 2012. Web. 03 Oct. 2014.])
c) Omg ya la cague