The United States leans progressively on many issues, one being the age at which an adolescent can be placed in an adult prison. In the past 20 years, the percentage of youths being tried as adults has increased 230 percent. Per day, 10,000 juveniles are placed in adult prisons and the majority are for nonviolent offences. In most states juveniles must be held in adult prisons until they are tried and for one in five juvenile inmates than can be for up to six months. Many states have started passing reforms to protect juveniles in order for them to be productive citizens in society in the future. However, there is still a long way to go to ensure all states comply with laws and reforms set in place to protect the safety of non violent offenders under the age of eighteen. In terms of the age limit for juvenile detention centers, the united …show more content…
Judith Edersheim explains, on the topic of teen brain development, that there are differences between the brains of adolescents and the brains of adults. Adolescence lose what is called “gray matter” which are the cells in charge of the brain's computation. This loss is concentrated in the frontal lobe of the brain, responsible for decision making and self control. Therefore, adolescents shouldn’t be subject to adult prisons while their brain is still developing. People of all political standings believe that a population that doesn’t pose a serious safety risk shouldn’t use the limited public resources of an adult prison. An issue that presents the question of whether teens should be in adult prisons or not also lies in data. Studies show that kids who served in adult prisons were thirty four percent more like to commit new crimes. A reason for this is that juvenile detention facilities have more programs for counseling and rehabilitating the kids in order to learn from their mistakes and have a better future. Adult prisons pose a risk not only for a criminal future, but also for serious physical and psychological
Within the last five years, violent offenses by children have increased 68 percent, crimes such as: murder, rape, assault, and robbery. Honestly, with these figures, it is not surprising at all that the Juveniles Courts focus less on the children in danger, and focus more on dangerous children. This in fact is most likely the underlying reasoning behind juveniles being tried as adults by imposing harsher and stiffer sentences. However, these policies fail to recognize the developmental differences between young people and
.... Every human being has made a mistake in their life; some made a bigger one than others and ended up in prison. Therefore, take into consideration that these adolescents are young to stand trial, their brains are not fully developed, and they are capable of rehabilitating
When comparing adults and juveniles in the terms of justice, I think we all can agree that adults should face greater punishments than a juvenile offender since the adult tends to have more common sense, and it’s not fair for a minor to face the same consequences as an adult. While this may be a preferred viewpoint, there are many factors to consider when viewing cases such as the severity of the crime, the situation the law breaker was in at the time of the crime, and most importantly the age of the criminal. When analyzing a juvenile offender, you must also take into consideration, that they are a minor, and don’t have as much understanding of the law as an adult may have. With these concepts in mind law enforcement is forced to analyze juvenile crimes more intensely to ensure that they are protected under the law, even though they’ve broken the law.
In today's society juveniles are being tried in adult courts, given the death penalty, and sent to prison. Should fourteen-year olds accused of murder or rape automatically be tried as adults? Should six-teen year olds and seven-teen year olds tried in adult courts be forced to serve time in adult prisons, where they are more likely to be sexually assaulted and to become repeat offenders. How much discretion should a judge have in deciding the fate of a juvenile accused of a crime - serious, violent, or otherwise? The juvenile crime rate that was so alarming a few years ago has begun to fall - juvenile felony arrest rates in California have declined by more than forty percent in the last twenty years. While California's juvenile population rose by a half a million since the middle and late 1970's, juveniles made up less than fifth-teen percent of California's felony arrests in 1998, compared to thirty percent in 1978; according to the Justice Policy Institute. The juvenile arrests have dropped back, even as the population of kids between ages of ten and eight-teen has continued to grow, and the number of kids confined in the California Youth Authority (CYA) has fallen. With all the progress our society has made in cutting back in juvenile crimes there is still a very serious problem. But if locking kids up is the best way to address it, how do we explain a drop in crime when there are more teens in California and fewer in custody? First we must look at the economy around us. With so many job opportunities available more and more teenagers find honest ways to keep busy and make money. Our generation has a brighter future than the generation a decade ago. Next we look at successful crime prevention efforts: after-school programs, mentoring, teen outreach programs, truancy abatement, anti-gang programs, family resource centers. There is evidence that these programs are beginning to pay off. Sending more, and younger teens through the adult court system has been a trend across the country in reaction to crimes, such as school shootings and violent rapes. Yet evidence shows that treating youth as adults does not reduce crime. In Florida, where probability wise more kids are tried as adults then in any other state, studies found that youth sent through the adult court system are twice as likely to commit more crimes when they're release...
The quagmire of placing juveniles in adult facilities is the risk factors juveniles may experience while incarcerated. Being that juveniles are young and smaller to the adult offenders, they may be seen as a prey or easy target for rape, assault, mental issues which eventually leads to suicide. We must keep in mind that juveniles are youth meaning they are still a child, not an adult and should not be exposed to adult incarceration environment. Although it is cost saving to place juveniles and adults under one facility, it is unethical because they are not built and yet mentally ready and prepared to experience adult facilities. Alternative strategies are available to assist juvenile detainees such as healthcare, education, recreation, and work experience. The Juvenile Court Act of 1899 gave leniency to youth under the age of 16. Placing youth detainees with adult offenders will result in the reduction of rehabilitation services for youth, while increasing the rate of being a victim as a potential prey o...
1. What is the difference between a. and What are the five goals of juvenile corrections? How effectively are these goals achieved? The goals of juvenile corrections are to deter, rehabilitate and reintegrate, prevent, punish and reattribute, as well as isolate and control youth offenders and offenses. Each different goal comes with its own challenges.
While portrayed as a permanent detriment, juvenile detention has the potential to turn delinquent children into successful adults. According to a study done on youth in the legal punishment system, adolescents who serve in adult prisons are
That’s why we don’t permit 15-year-olds to drink, drive, vote or join the military” (qtd. in Billitteri). There is adolescent-development research according to Hambrick, J. and Ellem, J that has shown “children do not possess the same capacity as adults to think thru the consequences of their behaviors, control their responses or avoid peer pressure” (qtd. in Lyons). There are some very good points made in the argument against sentencing youth as adults but I still have a hard time agreeing with peer pressure or impulse control as a reason to be held in a juvenile center for less than a few years for murder. Ryan, L. uses the example of a report released by the Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention on “Juvenile Transfer Laws : An Effective Deterrent to Delinquency?” This report found that prosecuting youths as adults has little or no effect on juvenile crime.” She uses this information and backs it up with the report showing “youths prosecuted as adults are more likely to re-offend than youths handled in the juvenile justice system” (qtd. in Katel). This is definitely a new perspective, but I still stand with my first take on the subject. “We know young people can commit serious crimes, and the consequences are no less tragic” (qtd in
While many argue that juveniles who commit serious crimes, such as murder, should be treated as adults, the fact is, juveniles under the age of eighteen, are not adults, and should not be treated as such. Juveniles are not mature enough or developed psychologically, and, therefore, do not consider the consequences of their actions. In the article, “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” by Thompson, the writer argues that juveniles are not adults. Their brains develop at different stages and they learn skills that they need to learn at a certain time.
For instance, juveniles do not deserve life sentences because their brain isn’t fully developed yet and lack awareness of their actions. In the article “Startling Finds on Teenage Brains” by Paul Thompson, he explains the development of the brain and how in some situations the brain isn’t ready and it can affect the person. This effect in divergent ways; psychologically and emotionally. Thompson's article introduces the case of Nathaniel Brazill, at age 14, charged with second degree murder, trial as an adult and sentenced to life in prison without parole. After some serious research, it has shown that as many other juveniles who have committed a crime they are “far from adulthood”.
Today?s court system is left with many difficult decisions. One of the most controversial being whether to try juveniles as adults or not. With the number of children in adult prisons and jails rising rapidly, questions are being asked as to why children have been committing such heinous crimes and how will they be stopped. The fact of the matter is that it is not always the children's fault for their poor choices and actions; they are merely a victim of their environment or their parents. Another question asked is how young is too young. Children who are too young to see an R rated film unaccompanied are being sent to adult prisons. The only boundaries that seem to matter when it comes to being an adult are laws that restrain kids from things such as alcohol, pornography, and other materials seen as unethical. Children that are sent to adult prison are going to be subjected to even more unprincipled ideas and scenes. When children can be sent to jail for something as minor as a smash and grab burglary, the judicial system has errors. The laws that send juveniles to adult prisons are inhumane, immoral, and unjust. Kids are often incompetent, which leads to unfair trials. Adult prisons are also very dangerous for minors, and in many cases this leads to more juvenile crimes.
In order to establish effective and fair juvenile justice policies, there must be a complete understanding of the factors affecting the development of decision-making capabilities over the course of adolescence and into adulthood. Research on developmental immaturities has important implications for establishing mitigating factors that diminish the culpability of juvenile offenders and affect their ability to participate in criminal court. This developmental research supports a categorical distinction between juveniles and adults, bringing into question the validity of statutes requiring juvenile transfer to adult court.
“Court officials must balance the interests of public safety with the needs of youth when making decisions about which program to place a juvenile offender and which level of restriction is required. Juvenile offenders who commit serious and/or violent crime may require confinement to protect public safety and intensive supervision and intervention to become rehabilitated. On the other hand, many offenders can be effectively rehabilitated through community-based supervision and intervention. (James Austin, Kelly Dedel Johnson, and Ronald Weitzer)”
Juvenile offenders of federal criminal law are primarily the responsibility of state juvenile court authorities. The Federal Juvenile Delinquency Act permits federal delinquency proceedings where state courts cannot or will not accept jurisdiction. In the more serious of these cases, the juvenile offender may be transferred for trial as an adult in federal court.
In today’s generation there are many children and teens that commit crimes to satisfy their self being. Every day we see in the news about the reasons why children or teens commit crimes like murder or homicide. Sentencing juveniles to life in prison is not a right response to prevent homicide and serious murder, because their brains are not fully develop and the bad environment they live in. Teenagers or children need to be remain unformed of preventing crimes in today’s society. With this said, juvenile’s mental brains, backgrounds and growth are the reasons why they are not proficient to maintain themselves in a prison cell.