More than 200,000 juneviles under the age of 18 are going against courts using adult sanctions. Is this right? Are the teenagers receiving too harsh of a punishment for their crime? I believe not. "You do the crime, you do the time," this is the slogan to the viewer of America all across the United States. Juveniles within the ages of 15-17 should be trialed appropiately and held responsible for their own actions. Not because police are trying to set an example out it, but because the level of offense that was committed deserves some form of justice. I believe no matter the age of the offender, consequences should be distributed equally.
Katel, P. (2008, November&). Juvenile Justice. CQ Researcher, 18, 913-936.
Retrieved September 12, 2009, from CQ Researcher Online.
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Even though Nic pointed out juveniles are responsible for their own actions, it does not justify the punishments that are to judged upon them. The level of offense should not be consider the most important piece when convicted. The potential for change of heart is greater in youths than adults, for they have much time to think about their actions and set things right from wrongs, all it takes is someone to lend a hand to juveniles and accept their will to change rather than ignore and label them. Of course, it isn't easy to forgive or trust someone when betrayed or being the victim. consider a senario, a teenager being trial for killing someone, found guilty, sent to prison and receive the same treatment as adult would have. Parents were blamed, the victim seek revenge and justice even if it meant putting the teen in prison for life. The teen later recognized his/her wrongs and try to change. If Juvenile is manage to be release out of prison, the change that the teen seek are ignore and society turn cold shoulder since the past is never "just" the past. These exiled tension in society would build up in the life of juvenile and would eventually turn crime, for prison is rather a sanction than the unknown society which they're isolated from. This is one of the senario out of the numberous that a possibility like this exist. If you asked me tougher policy on juvenile is a very risking gamble to the safety of the communities.
ReplyDeleteOf course the teenagers are going to be labeled, every criminal is. Also, I do not believe that the parents are the ones to blame, it's the community they grew up in along with the crowds they're hanging out with. Matthew Caspari, a lawyer in Washington D.C., was taking a walk with his wife and daughter, when he approached one of his neighbors being attacked by a juvenile. Caspari called the police instantly while making his way towards the offender. The juvenile started to attack Caspari, so the police rushed to the scene to arrest the teen. After the family court released him while waiting for his trial, Caspari saw the juvenile hanging out with a bad crowd. Caspari states that most of the juvenile offenders do not take consequences for their actions seriously. He also states if the community can assign help and therapy for young offenders, the young offenders are eligible for trial in adult courts.
ReplyDeleteAnd to add to that, teenagers should be responsible for their actions. The peers or crowds that the teenagers are hanging with have a major influence on behaviors in particular age groups, specifically older teenagers and young adults. Parents will have some control over their children, but they cannot control what they do.
ReplyDeleteIt is true, parent can't control what their children do, but they can intervene and show positive reinforcement. "Psychological research confirms what every parent knows: children, including teenagers, act more irrationally and immaturely than adults" (Stamps). In Nic state about going with the crowded, that have to deal with peer pressure because I'm sure they're just trying to fit in. Parent cannot tell their children who to hang out with, but if they know that their children is hanging out with the wrong crowd. They can take the initiative to inform their child's friends' parents. That way, they have some restriction about the behavior of the teen. The next step would be to build stronger bond with their children that way they'll be more open.
ReplyDeleteStamps, Barbe, and David Berger. "Juvenile Justice." The Trouble With The Troubled Teen Industry. Web. 14 Sept. 2009.
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