Essay On Minors Should NOT Be Tried In Adult Prisons

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In our communities, we are aware that children under the age of eighteen do not and are unable to behave as an adult. This is why our criminal justice system goes through the necessary actions to protect them from the outcomes of their actions and frequently looks to restructure the harm when they tend to make the inappropriate choices by giving them another chance. Our law bans individuals under the age of eighteen to vote; they cannot serve in the military or even serve on the jury but in certain states they can be put to death for a crime before they even reach adulthood.
In the United States there are over 2000 juveniles in prison serving life sentences without parole, some are younger than thirteen years old. In one case in particular …show more content…

If minors are not liable for their crimes like adults are and youths can be reformed, (Kingsbury, 2009) why should they be sentenced in adult courts under the age of eighteen? Children under the age of eighteen should not be punished in adult court because moving them from juvenile court to be tried in adult court does not reduce reoffending matter of fact it increases offenses. A juvenile detention center has the necessary programs set in place to reform the juvenile. Our children are built to be rehabilitated and to be redeemed. If children are not sentenced to be punished in adult prisons and treated within the facilities of their own age, mentality and crimes even if they are violent they can be transformed into responsible adults. Referring to a thirteen or fourteen year old child their brains are still changing and their prefrontal cortex will not even be developed until they are around twenty, this causes reason for their stereotypical behaviors such has rebelling and risky behaviors, (How Stuff Works, 2014). When a child is punished to an adult prison they will most likely be sexually assaulted by inmates, beaten by correctional staff and to be attacked with a weapon. Too much punishment for juveniles is an unsuccessful approach for changing their behaviors and we should be setting out to protect the children not

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