The current judiciary system faces a controversy while treading juveniles committing serious crimes. On the one hand, youth falling under the category from 12-17 should not be tried in the adult court system because of their emotional immaturity and inability to control their impulses.
On the other hand, individuals committing as severe crimes as adults do should undergo severe punishment. Such a perspective raises a number of questions concerning the reasonableness of the current juvenile systems, as well as measures that should be taken while treating difficult teenagers.
In this respect, there should not be a clear distinctions between juveniles arrested for crimes of various degrees of severity. Nevertheless, teenagers cannot be tried as adults because of their psychological immaturity, distinct competence, and greater potential for psychological change.
Certainly, there are some obvious cases of juvenile cruelty that do not permit community to consider the case because of teenager’s emotional instability and family problems. Murder cannot be justified by all means. However, society must not “…give up hope of rehabilitating a child who commits a crime” (Clouse 599).
Teenagers are not stable enough in terms of their emotional perception of the surrounding events. Due to the lack of a healthy family environment, as well as other cases of social pressure, they often resort to measures that rigidly contradict the norms accepted in a civilized society.
Therefore, if there is a chance to save a child from custody, the social institutions should take advantage of it. In addition to the above-presented deliberations, there is a plethora of studies supporting juvenile rehabilitation rather than adult imprisonment. Specifically, the researchers agree that giving an opportunity for a teenager to go through a juvenile system with rehabilitation, education, counseling, and mentoring increases the possibility for an individual to become a normal member of society.
In contrast, a child serving in an adult jail is unlikely to adjust to a society (Steinberg 603). Indeed, there should be experienced counselors and psychologists that can train problematic youth to control their unstable and immature emotions and understand the consequences of their actions. Finally, earlier identification of teenagers’ psychological problems can reduce the number of crimes in future since many adult criminals resort to outlaw actions since their young years.
Certainly, it is impossible to sentence all adolescents to equal punishment due to the different degrees of crimes they commit. Moreover, most of juveniles should be transferred to adult prisons for the safety of teenagers whose crimes are less severe (Collier 610). Such a decision can contribute to safety measures in such institutions.
Most of the problematic children face misconception on the part of adults and, therefore, the task of a counselor is to notice such children before they pose threat to society. Reconsidering the overall situation with juvenile delinquency is crucial to create new circumstances under which these criminals will be treated.
Despite the fact that teenagers are capable of committing serious crimes as adults, the government should still reevaluate their outlook on juvenile system. Certainly, some teenagers deserve to be tried as adults regarding their severe crimes.
Nevertheless, their emotionally unstable characteristics provide greater chances for them to revamp their social perception and restore the accepted moral and social values. Therefore, youth committing serious crimes should be taken under the control of counselors whose primary goal is to identify such teenagers before they infringe the law.
Works Cited
Clouse, Barbara Fine. “Little Adult Criminals” Patterns for a Purpose: A Rhetorical Reader. Ed. Barbara Fine Clouse US: McGraw-Hill Humanities, 2010. 599-601. Print.
Collier, Linda J. “Adult Crime, Adult Time” Patterns for a Purpose: A Rhetorical Reader. Ed. Barbara Fine Clouse US: McGraw-Hill Humanities, 2010. 608-611. Print.
Steinberg, Laurence. “Should Juvenile Offenders Be Tried As Adults”. Patterns for a Purpose: A Rhetorical Reader. Ed. Barbara Fine Clouse US: McGraw-Hill Humanities, 2010. 602-606. Print.