Should People Less Than Eighteen Years Old...

Should people less than eighteen years old (minors/juveniles/adolescents) ever be tried and sentenced as adults? The legislation of trying and sentencing youth criminals under adult justice system has been a hot topic of debate. Supporters of tough laws on insist the need to enforce harsh penalties to uphold justice. The practice of treating youth criminals as adults since the 1990s is a result of the steep rise in youth crimes. However, youth advocates argue that tough laws should not be applied to youth offenders anymore. The core issue of the controversy is whether, because adolescents are biologically and mentally different from adults, they should be treated differently. For minor offenses such as property crime in which nobody is†¦show more content†¦Similar findings can 1|Page HENG, SIN YI be seen in the article â€Å"Jailing Juveniles† (2008, p.127) revealing the danger of juveniles in adult facilities. Because youths are often isolated from other adult prisoners to prevent sexual and physical abuse, they are more vulnerable to various mental disorders. Moreover, suicide ideation of youth offenders in adult jails is 36 times higher than that of those in juvenile correctional facilities. As a result, youth advocates oppose treating youth offenders as adults. However, violent juvenile criminals should be punished for their misdeeds. Hunter (2010, p.101) insists that age should not be an excuse to oppose incarceration of youth criminals in adult prisons as a punishment for their crimes. In Hunter’s opinion, â€Å"cold-blooded murderers† like Jordan Brown, who killed his father’s fiancà ©e while she was sleeping must be punished to the maximum extent of the law although Brown was only 11 years old when the murder took place. In her opinion, to ugh laws are crucial for upholding justice for victims and victims’ families who suffered because of these juvenile crimes. Indeed, the culprits should not be easily forgiven to make sure that justice is served for the victims and victims’ families. Juvenile criminals have to bear the responsibilities for their actions regardless of their age. The purpose of tough punishment for violent youth offenders is to let them learn and realizeShow MoreRelatedJuvenile Crimes Of Juveniles1055 Words   |  5 Pagescrime? I live near the nation’s capitol and our local news channel carries stories about people meeting this fate every day. The worst part is that the criminal is often under the age of eighteen. In 2016, in Washington, D.C. alone, there were 3,278 juveniles arrested for criminal activity (â€Å"Biannual Reports†). I find myself wondering if that criminal will be tried as an adult or merely spend time in juvenile detention. I wonder if the child unde rstands the gravity of what they did. I am certainRead MoreEssay on Juvenile Death Penalty3656 Words   |  15 PagesA 16 year old boy is at the peak of their adolescent life, learning and discovering about puberty, maturity, right and wrong and future life goals. On the other hand, a man of 25 has matured, lived long enough to have made both good and bad judgments and has already been in the process of achieving those life goals they once thought of as a teenager. In a given situation, is it ethical to hold these two age groups, with mentalities that are worlds apart, to the same standards and punishments in theRead MoreEssay on Juvenile Death Penalty1824 Words   |  8 Pagesthe most controversial issues in the country today is addressed in the question, Should the death penalty be applied to juveniles, and if so how young is too young? The death penalty has been in the United States for many, many years, and the United States still has yet to figure out how to solve all its d ilemmas and whether or not the penalty is right or wrong. Debates about the use of the death penalty for juveniles have grown more intense because of the recent demand for harsher punishment forRead MoreThe Legal Before 18?3888 Words   |  16 PagesSociety always put thin lines on what exactly the requirements are for being grown. Some people might agree that being grown means that you pay your own bills, have a job, and don’t live under your parents roofs. But most people agree that if you are eighteen then you are legally grown and an adult. However we still have a system that gives prosecutors the unchechecked authority to push children into the adult system. In our court system injustices are treated very differently based on a multitude