Should Violent Juveniles Be Tried as Adults: Review of The Issue

In many countries, there are different rules that ensure that we as civilians become more aware of the dangers of the world and that keeps us safe in society. Certainly, in Canada, there are no exceptions to the dangers and laws that keep youths from getting into trouble. In my opinion, I believe that juveniles should not be tried as an adult. Juveniles are immature - and thus irresponsible for poor judgment, juveniles have a better chance of getting rehabilitated if not convicted, and lastly, adults have a worse chance of rehabilitation - which many juveniles would become if served long sentences.

Firstly, the reason juveniles shouldn't be tried as an adult is that age is because of immaturity. During puberty, adolescents experience mood swings, low self-esteem, and low tolerance. They act impulsively to their surroundings. For instance, teenagers coping with peer pressure from their friends or community to do drugs are at higher risk of peer pressure. These problems can lead to many mistakes that teenagers later regret. In other words, they have limited ability to make a good judgment thus, isn’t something they excel at. Adolescents who commit crimes have shorter experiences in the world and might not be emotionally ready to actually grasp the severity of the crime.

Many kinds of research say that by involving more juveniles to be tried as an adult, they have a greater chance of becoming a repeat offender. Secondly, Juveniles shouldn't be tried as adults because it is too late to rehabilitate those who've been tried as adults. Juveniles are juveniles, and they should be managed as juveniles. If you are tried as an adult you are more likely to get life in prison with no chance of getting parole.

In these prison facilities, there aren't many rehabilitation groups or programs where they can help you discover yourself into society or help you with your struggles. Those downfalls include having the hard transition from getting your life back together, to working your hardest in getting a job, to support yourself in adulthood. This is because many people who go out of the prison system don't have many work opportunities in finding an employer to hire a person with a criminal record. Also, there is the trouble of having a connection to your loved ones which may be difficult. The loss of childhood and loss of family communication is a heavy toll. Lastly, Juveniles should not be tried as adults because its easier to rehabilitate juveniles. Rehabilitated juveniles will be able to get new jobs and maybe have the chance of going back to school and earn a degree without being viewed as a criminal. Studies show that “well-designed rehabilitative strategies to reduce recidivism for... offenders”.

So, when you are rehabilitated and out of the juvenile system, the juvenile will be better off in starting a new life. In conclusion, the reasons why juveniles should not be tried as adults is because of their immaturity, difficulty in rehabilitating adult criminals, and easiness in rehabilitating juveniles. Furthermore, we as human make mistakes that we later regret in life, sometimes those juveniles who have been committed of a crime should always have the choice and they should not be tried as an adult because they are simply not prepared. By not being tried as an adult you have a better outcome for juveniles and adolescents in society.

References

1. Lipsey, M. W. (1999). Can Intervention Rehabilitate Serious Delinquents? The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 564(1), 142–166. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716299564001094
2. Duke University. 'Juvenile offenders probably more criminal to begin with: 'Adult-onset' criminals are different, but not in expected ways.' ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 April 2016. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160414174419
3. “Should Juveniles Be Charged as Adults in the Criminal Justice System?” American Bar Association, www.americanbar.org/groups/litigation/committees/childrens-rights/articles/2016/should-juveniles-be-charged-as-adults/
4. “The Truth About Life Without Parole: Condemned to Die in Prison.” ACLU of Northern CA, 18 Oct. 2017, www.aclunc.org/article/truth-about-life-without-parole-condemned-die-prison
5. Johnson, Sara B, et al. “Adolescent Maturity and the Brain: The Promise and Pitfalls of Neuroscience Research in Adolescent Health Policy.” The Journal of Adolescent Health: Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Sept. 2009, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892678/.