Juveniles are increasingly getting involved in criminal activities across the United States. Crimes that are mostly reported include assault, homicide, rape, robbery, vandalism and arson. This paper seeks to explain why I am against the state laws that facilitate prosecution of juveniles in adult courts. I will also give my reasons as to why juveniles who commit violent crimes should not be tried as adults unless they are older enough to understand the consequences of their actions.
There have been a lot of arguments concerning the basis on which juvenile courts were established. There is some belief going around that juvenile courts should be abolished because they were put in place to shield juveniles from consequences of their criminal activities.
Indeed there has been a marked rise in incidences of juvenile criminal activities. I don’t think this problem can be solved by punishing juveniles as adults. Some states have gone as far as creating laws that facilitate the prosecution of juveniles in adult courts. In my opinion, such states are just trying to treat the symptoms and not the disease.
These people should try to understand the real cause of the problem. According to me, juveniles involve themselves in criminal activities due to poor upbringing which can be blamed on the family and violent neighborhoods.
For example, I had a friend whose parents were both alcoholics and t his weighed so much on him. He has been tried for stabbing his father. He was only 14 but I don’t think this could have happened if he had responsible parents. Such a person will not be helped if he is held fully responsible and prosecuted in adult courts.
Questions have also risen as to whether it’s appropriate to try juveniles (regardless of the age) who commit violent crimes in the same manner as adults. It’s imperative to note that people should be made to pay for their mistakes so long as they understand what they are doing.
However, it’s also important to point out that some juveniles, especially younger ones may not be aware of the magnitude of their criminal activities or even understand why they involve themselves in crime. In most cases there are many underlying social problems that can be addressed to deter juvenile criminal activities.
We all know that juveniles who are prosecuted as adults are often held in adult jails where they might be abused. This can also make them to lose education opportunities in life. Juveniles who undergo this are more likely to be involved in crime again because they will have no other means of fending for themselves when they get out.
In my opinion juveniles who commit violent crime should be given an opportunity to reform and lead a normal life to deter future crime cases. Thus it’s important that they be prosecuted in a manner that will offer them the opportunity to reform. This can be achieved by trying juveniles, especially younger offenders in juvenile courts. However, those who involve themselves in violent crimes and are older (16 years and above) should be tried as adults because they are better placed to understand the consequences of their actions.
This paper sought to explain why I am against the state laws that facilitate prosecution of juveniles in adult courts. I have also given my reasons as to why juveniles who commit violent crimes should not be tried as adults unless they are older enough to understand the consequences of their actions.
The paper has reviewed some underlying causes that push the youths into crime and has concluded that the state laws that facilitate the prosecution of juveniles in adult courts should be changed. It has also concluded that juveniles who involve themselves in violent crimes should not be tried as adults unless they are old enough to understand the consequences of their actions.