Most people would agree that juveniles should not be tried as adults. The problem is that our current criminal justice system does not always reflect this sentiment. In fact, in many states, minors can be charged and tried as adults for certain crimes. This is especially true if the juvenile is accused of a violent crime.
There are several reasons why juveniles should not be tried as adults. First, they are not developmentally able to understand the consequences of their actions. Second, they are more likely to be rehabilitated than adults. Finally, trying them as adults often leads to worse outcomes, such as longer prison sentences and recidivism.
The bottom line is that our criminal justice system should not treat juveniles the same as adults.
Spend the rest of your life in jail, waiting to be released, knowing you’ll have to spend the rest of your life there because you committed a crime when you were young and stupid. Life in prison becomes the only existence you will know and see as a result of sending children and teenagers to be tried as adults.
We have said that they are not worthy of a second chance and that they will never be anything but criminals.
The problem with this way of thinking is twofold. First, it means that we are sentencing children to a life without any hope for the future. Second, research shows that juveniles are much more likely to reformed and become productive citizens if they are given rehabilitative services rather than being sent to prison.
A juvenile should not be tried as an adult because they do not have the mental capacity to understand their actions. The prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for judgment and decision making, is not fully developed in teenagers. This means that they are more likely to make impulsive decisions without thinking about the consequences. In addition, juveniles are more likely to be influenced by their peers and adults than they are to think for themselves.
Research has shown that rehabilitation is much more effective than prison in helping juveniles become productive citizens. Rehabilitation programs provide support and guidance to help young people get their lives back on track. These programs focus on education, job training, and counseling, which can help juveniles turn their lives around.
The teens and children now serving adult sentences will have no future to look forward to, and they will be unable to change their ways and become full participants in society. When a juvenile is apprehended, the police submit an application for probationer status for the offender. Probation considers such things as the criminal’s surroundings, psychological features, and other important factors in deciding where they shall go.
The juvenile will then be transferred to a detention center, or released on juvenile probation. A small percentage of these juveniles are tried as adults. The process of trying a juvenile as an adult is incredibly flawed, and damaging to the child.
One of the main arguments for why juveniles should not be tried as adults, is that they are not developmentally prepared to handle the pressures of the adult criminal justice system. The prefrontal cortex is not fully developed in humans until around the age of 25. This area of the brain controls impulsive behavior, and aids in planning and decision making. Because this part of the brain is not yet fully developed in juveniles, they are more likely to make impulsive decisions without thinking through the consequences. This often leads to them getting into trouble with the law.
Another reason why juveniles should not be tried as adults is that they are more likely to be victimized in prison. They are more likely to be sexually assaulted, and they are also more likely to be physically abused by other inmates. This is because they are not yet fully developed, and they are not able to defend themselves as well as an adult would be able to.
The last reason why juveniles should not be tried as adults is that they are more likely to recidivate, or re-offend. Studies have shown that when a juvenile is transferred to the adult criminal justice system, they are five times more likely to re-offend than if they had stayed in the juvenile system. This is because they are not given the same resources and rehabilitative services that they would be given in the juvenile system.
Overall, there are many reasons why juveniles should not be tried as adults. They are not developmentally prepared to handle the pressures of the adult criminal justice system, they are more likely to be victimized in prison, and they are more likely to recidivate. These factors all lead to a higher rate of recidivism, and a higher likelihood of the juvenile re-offending. Therefore, it is in the best interest of society to keep juveniles out of the adult criminal justice system.
When juvenile offenders commit serious felonies, they should not be treated as adults because the adult prison is too violent for juveniles who aren’t fully mentally developed, and children in the adult criminal justice system are more likely to be re-arrested and carry out more heinous offenses upon discharge.
When juveniles are tried as adults, they are usually sent to adult prisons. Adults in prison are typically more violent than juveniles, which can cause serious harm or even death to juveniles. In addition, because they are not yet fully mentally developed, juveniles are not able to understand the consequences of their actions and may be more likely to re-offend when released from adult prison.
The majority of states in the US have laws that allow children to be tried as adults in certain circumstances. However, there is growing evidence that this practice is ineffective and harmful. In fact, many countries around the world have abolished the practice of trying juveniles as adults altogether.
The United States should follow suit and put an end to this harmful practice. Juveniles should not be tried as adults, because it does not make us safer and it causes more harm than good.
Sending juvenile offenders to adult prisons indicates that we as a society don’t care for them, and it implies we’ve given up on them. We are essentially laying the groundwork for failure in the adult prison because they have no opportunity of leaving since their undeveloped brains tell them that being in jail is required for survival.
If we want to decrease crime rates, we should try and help young offenders, not make their lives worse.
There are plenty of programs available to help young offenders reform their ways, and if we continue to try them as adults, we are only increasing the chances that they will re-offend. We need to invest in our youth, not write them off as lost causes.
They are the future of our country, and if we don’t give them the chance to succeed, we are only dooming ourselves.
So please, think about the young offenders when you are determining their punishments. They have their whole lives ahead of them, and we should try to help them, not hinder them.
In conclusion, juveniles should not be tried as adults because they are not developmentally ready to understand the consequences of their actions. Additionally, rehabilitation is much more effective than prison in helping them become productive citizens. We need to give these young people a chance to show that they can change and lead successful lives.