Should Adolescents Be Tried As Adults Essay

881 Words4 Pages
Trying Adolescents As Adults: Fair or Unjust? Should adolescents really be tried as adults? Many people debate whether juvenile criminals should be punished to the extent of the law. Some feel committing capitol crimes, by both adolescents and adults, should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Though some do not think age is of importance when committing a heinous crime, age plays a huge part in the reason behind our acts. In our current society, a child is defined as “a person under 18 years of age (How Pg.2).” When you become an adult, you receive certain rewards such as voting, purchasing tobacco, and even being able to buy a home. So why are we trying to treat children as adults in court when in every other aspect of their lives, their treated as children? Juvenile crime is a very serious matter that sets the stage for that child’s future. In this current age, children are surrounded by violence. Entertainment such as video games, movies, TV shows, and many more show heinous acts in everyday life usually with no consequences. The way adults raise their children today is focusing on teaching children…show more content…
Several risk factors have been identified that can cause violence in adolescents (Ortiz pg 3). Of death row juvenile offenders; 74% experienced family dysfunction, 60% were victims of abuse or neglect, 43% had a diagnosed psychiatric disorder, 38% suffered from substance addictions, and 38% lived in poverty (Ortiz pg 3). These children on death row are between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, being as children fifteen and under are not applicable to the death penalty (Reaves pg 1). To date, there is no extensive research comparing the lengths of prison sentences received by juveniles convicted in criminal court with those who remained in the Juvenile System (Does pg 1). This makes it impossible for us to tell the difference is sentencing between Criminal and Juvenile
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