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Juvenile sentencing as adults essays
Juvenile sentencing as adults essays
Adult and juvenile justice similarities
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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. …show more content…
First of all, a juvenile offender is anyone under the age of 18, but over the age of 7 in Washington state that is. As stated in the text book on page 30, where it states, “children under 18 years of age are not considered entirely responsible for their criminal acts…a special category of offense called juvenile delinquency.” (Introduction to Criminal Justice, 2017) But in rare incidences, other jurisdictions may try a juvenile offender as an adult depending on their age and severity of the crime. If an offender is almost 18 and is guilty of a serious crime it is more likely for them to be tried as an
The purpose of the criminal law is to balance of rights for individuals in society to achieve justice. The criminal law is continually reforming in an attempt to achieve justice for young offenders, as it is an issue of the criminal law. This essay will examine the effectiveness of the criminal justice system in relation to young offenders therefore looking at various aspects of the juvenile justice system. The criminal justice system does provide some effective and relevant concessions for young offenders. However, due to its focus on incarceration and punishment rather than on preventative measures, the criminal justice system is effective to an extent
With the current crime rates on the rise, the justice system is trying to reduce adult criminals by strictly prosecuting juvenile offenders as adults. Many people believe that in doing so will scare the criminals back on the straight path and help to lower the crime rate. Trying a juvenile as an adult will have no effect on reducing crimes, corrective behaviors, or a juvenile’s comprehension ability.
Being charged with adult sentences is a very harsh punishment considering their age. Andrew Medina was fifteen when he got sentenced to life without parole because of a murder that he possibly did not commit. Officers also alleged that he was part of a gang and sent him to spend the rest of his life in a very strict prison. Trevor Jones also got sentenced to life without parole at the age of seventeen because of reckless manslaughter. Even though it was an accident, the victim’s death occurred while Trevor intended armed robbery and was accused of felony murder and will spend the rest of his life in prison. Jacob Ind was sentenced to life without parole. At the age of fifteen, he killed his mother and stepfather in order to put an end to the all kinds of abuse they were putting him through. The jury did not recognize the fact that it was primarily self-defense and accused him of first degree murder, which carries a mandatory life sentence. These are the cases of only three kids who got life without parole but there are so many more. These kids miss out on so many things in life because they will spend most of it locked in a cell. One accident or mistake can ruin their lives forever. That is why I think juveniles should be tried in juvenile
According to criminal.findlaw.com the definition of the juvenile justice system is the area of criminal law applicable to people not old enough to be held responsible for criminal acts. Juveniles are people 17 and under. Juveniles should be convicted as adults for violent crimes like assault or murder etcetera because if they can commit an adult crime they should get an adult punishment. Also if juveniles don’t get punished for their crimes then they’ll keep doing it because they got off unpunished the first time.
The adult age requirement in the US is 18 years old by law. If you are under the age of 18, you cannot vote, rent a hotel room, or even purchase a lottery ticket and you are considered a minor. In some cases though minors are convicted as adults, go to adult prison, and get life without parole. The courts deem these minors the worst of the worst and they are untreatable and are not capable of rehabilitation just like Nathan Ibanez, who murdered his mother and is serving life without parole. Juveniles have gained more rights from the Supreme Court in the three following cases: in Kent v. United States it was determined juveniles must have due process, in the case In re Gault it was determined juveniles must have access to a lawyer and know
A juvenile is an adolescent under age for specific benefits, for example, voting, consuming alcoholic refreshments, or consenting to sexual acts. In the event if accused for a criminal or juvenile offense, usually an adolescent is not tried by an adult criminal court but the case is handled in the juvenile court, despite the fact that when genuine law violations are affirmed in numerous purviews, adolescents may be transferred to adult criminal courts. A few jurisdictions have statutory necessities that adolescents must be tried in adult criminal courts in the event that they are accused for genuine wrongdoing.
In juvenile court, the judge must decide if the teen gets tried as an adult or minor. If the juvenile gets sent to a juvenile detention center for murder they will live their lives there until they are twenty one, but if tried as an adult they will serve so many years in prison. There is a grey area of law for certain teens that commit serious crimes. In this case of the grey law, each state gets to decide upon the particular state how they person is tried. For most cases pertaining to the juvenile courts are case by case bases. Many believe that it isn’t fair for the teens to be locked up with adults. The U.S. House of Representatives made the Juvenile Justice Act encouraging states to find alternatives to having the teens go through such a process with people much older than themselves (Locked Up…).
"Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time." -- David Grusin and Morgan Ames Much controversy exists on the question of whether a juvenile criminal should be punished to the same extent as an adult. Those who commit capital crimes, including adolescents, should be penalized according to the law. Age should not be a factor in the case of serious crimes.
A deep look into juveniles in adult prisons. Touch bases on several smaller issues that contribute to juveniles being in and effects of adult prisons. The United States Bureau of Prisons handles two hundred and thirty-nine juveniles and their average age is seventeen. Execution of juveniles, The United States is one of only six countries to execute juveniles. There are sixty-eight juveniles sitting on death row for crimes committed as juveniles. Forty-three of those inmates are minorities. People, who are too young to vote, drink alcohol, or drive are held to the same standard of responsibility as adults. In prisons, they argue that the juveniles become targets of older, more hardened criminals. Brian Stevenson, Director of the Alabama Capital Resource Center said, “We have totally given up in the idea of reform of rehabilitation for the very young. We are basically saying we will throw those kids away. Leading To Prison Juvenile Justice Bulletin Report shows that two-thirds of juveniles apprehended for violent offenses were released or put on probation. Only slightly more than one-third of youths charged with homicide was transferred to adult criminal court. Little more than one out of every one hundred New York youths arrested for muggings, beatings, rape and murder ended up in a correctional institution. Another report showed a delinquent boy has to be arrested on average thirteen times before the court will act more restrictive than probation. Laws began changing as early as 1978 in New York to try juveniles over 12 who commit violent crimes as adults did. However, even since the laws changed only twenty percent of serious offenders served any time. The decision of whether to waive a juven...
once the minor has committed a violent crime, they are no longer a kid. The minor had the ability to know right from wrong, but he still chose to commit the heinous crime anyway. Choosing to commit this violent crime means that the minor chose to act as an adult and must be held accountable. Once the minor has made the decision to act as an adult, they must be treated as an adult. If we do not teach minors that what they did has consequences they will never learn. Arguments can be made that minors should not be treated as adults and while these arguments do have merit, they are not my beliefs. In my opinion, minors who commit violent crimes need to be tried as adults. Justice does not discriminate when it comes to age. Right is right, and wrong is wrong and the wrong should be punished equally.
The Chambers Dictionary defines juvenile as "young; pertaining to or suited to youth or young people. Having or retaining characteristics of youth, childish." The Texas judicial system defines a juvenile as one between the ages of 10 and 16. Juvenile courts have been established to provide justice for anyone classified as a juvenile who commits a crime. Although some argue that juveniles are well served in these courts, it is in the best interest of society that juvenile offenders be tried and prosecuted as adults. Juveniles should be held fully responsible for the crimes they commit because even though they are young, juveniles have the ability to distinguish between right and wrong when choosing to commit a crime. Trying juveniles as adults ensures a strict punishment, vindication for the victim, and the re-establishment of order and protection for society.
The United States has been affected by a number of crimes committed by juveniles. The juvenile crime rate has been increasing in recent years. Everyday more juveniles commit crimes for various reasons. They act as adults when they are not officially adults. There is a discussion about how juveniles should be punished if they commit heinous crimes. 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.
Many states have established laws to help deter youths from committing crimes. One measure put into effect specifically regarding juveniles is known in California as Proposition 21 and is intended to change the treatment of juvenile offenders to prosecute violent youths participating in gangs. This proposition was deliberated to require more youths to be prosecuted in adult court; change the type of probation available for juveniles and to increase the criminal penalties for certain offenses. Another measure California has put into effect is the STEP Act. These propositions to me have positive aspects and I feel they are beneficial in properly charging a violent youthful offender. I feel that this topic is important for both law enforcement and possibly the juvenile offenders to be familiar with because it is important to both parties to know what statute the offender can be charged with in the court system under these legislations. In this research paper, I will discuss the positive effects and some negative effects these legislations have and which aspects I feel need to be addressed to further rehabilitate our nation’s youth offenders.
One reason why juvenile offenders should not be tried as adult is because they are far from adulthood. Many teenager who have committed a crime has a different background. For example, they have suffered sex abused, their parents have been drug addicted , or have been in prison for many years. There are many factors
In most states juvenile delinquency are criminal acts committed by minors’ ages 10 to 18 years old, the crimes are categorized as status offenders or delinquent offenders. Offenses committed by status offenders can only be committed because the offender is a minor, such as running away from home, truancy and underage drinking. (Mooney, pg 115) then there are delinquent offenders whose offenses would be a crime if they were committed by an adult. Depending on the nature of the crime, minors are tried in a juvenile justice system or can be transferred to the adult justice system. According to the Campaign for Youth Justice, it is estimated 1.7 million youths are in the juvenile justice system with 100,000 cases being heard in juvenile court annually. Currently, it is estimated that 70% of the youths arrested are boys and 30% are girls, although African-Americans make up only 17% of the total youth population, they are 30% more likely than white youth to face harsher sentences and be transferred into the adult