The Pros And Cons Of Adolescent Juvenile Prisons

INTRODUCTION
The United States of America has been often referred to as a champion of human rights especially when it comes to children. However, its policies tend to be very harsh when it comes to punishing them for violent crimes. Most of the nations of the world; even the third world does not try adolescents as adults irrespective of the crime. Yet in our country, we treat adolescent offenders for violent crimes as adults and sentence them into a harsh and dangerous prison environment (Walrond Jr, 2013). Adolescents are usually in the age where they are still looking for maturity to fully set in. The moral absolutes would not have an ethical bearing on them at this stage (Osler, 2012). Besides, the concept of sending adolescent juveniles
Young prisoners often learn such trades from them. This is one of the prime reasons why the recidivism crimes are different from the original crime that resulted in their imprisonment. A teenager who is convicted of a drug charge might be released into society only to become an armed robber. Some even learn how to get away with murder (Plumer, 2013). Adult prisons are incompatible for rehabilitation of young people (Prupis, 2014). The prison or the programs available are suited for adult prisoners; most of the time they are unable to cater to the physiological and emotional needs to an offender. The prison is not conducive for learning or for the purpose of counseling. Prisons are also segregated according the gang to which the prisoner belongs. A teen with no gang relations might become a gang member inside of prison. The juvenile correction system provides opportunities for offenders to continue school and get the opportunity to wipe out the criminal history through sustained positive behavior. However; when prisoners are released from prison, they express disturbing qualities like increased violence against those around them (Plumer,
There is a reason why the founders of the juvenile justice system decided to operate separate detention centers for adults and adolescents (Osler, 2012). The adolescent population is immature and unfit to even sit for trial most of the time (Jacobson, 2014). These young people are usually unable to distinguish between the moral absolutes of the natural law (Osler, 2012). That is the reason why they even commit the crime. When the Supreme Court decided to abolish death penalty for adolescents, it noted that they were physically, mentally and emotionally unfit to be killed for the consequences of their actions (Osler, 2012) (Plumer, 2013) (Lane, 2005). Then in 2007, decided to stop the sentencing of life without parole to only life citing that the young people had the chance to improve and be rehabilitated effectively. The courts have however declined to throw out the clause that allows juveniles as adults to allow the passing of a life sentencing (Lyons, 2014).
The age of the criminal offender is crucial for any scope of rehabilitation (Jacobson, 2014). The younger they are, the chances for rehabilitation are significantly higher (Plumer, 2013). Rehabilitation is the restoration of the individual to the state that the person was in prior to committing an illegal action. This restoration is usually