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need help to review the paper. So basically i have to review a paper of a peer. and give a comment on a peer review form.
Running head: Problems with Trying Children as Adults 1 Problems with Trying Children as Adults
From my research and thesis statement, some problems arise and need to be
addressed. This study addresses these issues and also goes ahead to propose solutions for the
problems. The previous papers highlight different research topics which are in the form of
questions that I discussed and answered. The topic I picked for research talks about trying
juveniles as adults and the research revealed many challenges and problems which are going
to be presented in this study. There are many issue and problems which affect the trying of
minors as an adult especially in cases where there is a possibility of life parole. Ideas that
contributed to the start of juvenile justice has over the years been attacked with those
attacking saying that the juveniles deserve punishments that are harsher. Over the years the
number of juveniles being tried as adults has increased. A study reveals that the number of
juveniles who are convicted of violent crimes 69% comprised of juveniles who were
incarcerated in adult prisons (Baron, 2010). An analysis of the actions of trying juveniles as
adults reveals the measures to be counterproductive and at the end of the day justice will not
have been served, and these actions just exacerbate the problems they try to solve.
One of the problems associated with trying of minors as adults is that the minors will
be at risk. Whenever young offenders are tried in an adult court there are high chances of
them being sent to an adult correction facility. This creates a lot of risks to these minors. The
teens interaction with hardcore criminals in the prisons can make them become even more
violent offenders. Living together with the adults will make the teens want to emulate them
since they will be looking at them as role models while in prison. These criminals especially
those jailed for many years have nothing to lose and any negative influence drives the teen
into becoming worse people. There is also a problem of the adults sexually molesting the
teens. This abuse affects the teens physically and even emotionally and the effect of such
abuse is very harmful to their health & self-esteem. Children incarcerated in adult prison are
five times more likely to be sexually molested than in juvenile facilities ("Children in 2 Problems with Trying Children as Adults 3 Prison", 2016). The teens also face a problem of being attacked by the adult bullies in the
cells. They are young and cannot be able to defend themselves against such attacks, and some
of these attacks can even lead to death. State and federal law say that once the teens are sent
to adult facilities, they must be kept out of sight of the adult prisoners, but this is not the case
since in these prisons there are no separate facilities for the teens. All this torture that the
teens face while in prison affects them psychologically in addition to socially and physically.
The results end up being disastrous for these children. Studies have shown that the teens held
in jails are more likely to commit suicide that the teens who are held in juvenile detention
centers. In Kentucky, half an hour after a teen who is 15 years is put into a jail cell after
having an altercation with the mother, the teen hangs himself ("The Risks Juveniles Face
When They Are Incarcerated with Adults", 2016). These problems can be solved by not
allowing the teen to be tried as an adult, but instead, be sent to a juvenile facility.
The other problem of trying juveniles as adults is the social problem. A social issue in
the sense that trying them as adults seems like last resort and therefore giving an impression
of lost hope. This action portrays a society that has failed in its role of parenting and
rectifying the wrong doings of their kids. Some parents do not consider dialogue as an option
when their children are in the wrong but instead will just want to hand them to the authority.
Some opponents are of the thought that these young teen offenders will end up being full
fledge gangs so throwing them in jail will not have helped them. The society has a great
responsibility in shaping up the morals and behaviors of the children, and this will make them
avoid criminal ways, and they will grow up with great moral and behaviors. Whenever the
teens have engaged in any criminal activities, the law can take its course if the dialogue can
applicable. The teens should be tried as juveniles and not adults, and this ensures they are not
tried unfairly and harshly. When tried as juveniles they may be sentenced for a shorter time
than when tried as adults. Children are young people with a bright future, and when they Problems with Trying Children as Adults 4 engage in criminal activities and then tried as adults, it takes the hope of them being
rehabilitated and becoming great people. In juvenile there are programs of rehabilitation in
quest of changing the teens become better people. In juvenile, there are also school programs
where if the teens were already in school they would be able to continue their education. The
decisions that the minors make are not responsible decisions and thus would be wrong to
incarcerate them with adults who can make decisions responsibly. Adolescent making of
decisions is usually characterized by emotional and immaturity, attitude, a lot of peer pressure
towards risk. Their inability to make responsible decisions always makes them less
blameworthy than the adults (Steinberg, 2012)
The other problem of trying children as adults is a moral problem in that it provokes
the young offenders into becoming dangerous criminals. They will be in jail with hardcore
gangs who show them ways of involving in crime and even how easy it is to pay back to
those who made them be in prison by either eliminating them or harming them. Jailing them
will make them have an adverse reaction against punishment which is strict and harsh rules.
They will end up becoming hardcore and more aggressive to cope with the strict rules and life
in prison. The juveniles will always feel neglected especially by their parents or guardians,
and they will always be blaming them for their woes. This thought of feeling neglected will
make them seek vengeance after their prison sentence is over. These teens will also have
much with their incarceration since some of them were in school and they no longer do. They
will regard themselves as failures since the time they wasted would be hard to recover with
their peers having continued with school, and they are now way ahead of them, and this
thought just will make them hopeless. After prison, it becomes very hard to rehabilitate these
juveniles, and this will see them become even more involved in criminal activities unlike
when in juvenile where rehabilitation is very easy. Crimes on juvenile records usually hold
less weight than those in an adult record ("Children in Prison", 2016). When a minor is put Problems with Trying Children as Adults 5 into adult prison, it will affect their criminal record, and this will affect them throughout their
life. The society will always be viewing them with a lot of negativity and it even makes it
hard to find a decent job. The child criminal record will also cause the child live with stigma
for the rest of their lives, and they will find it hard leading lives that are normal. For those
who are unlucky to go back to school, they will be frustrated so much with life, and they will
end up being involved in more crime.
Conclusion
This study discusses in detail major problems that are associated with trying children
as adults. The study reveals these actions to be futile and in vain and that the child will not
have reformed after the sentence, but will come out even a worse person compared to when
they went to prison. The objective of rehabilitating the juveniles is lost the moment they are
tried in an adult court, which means they will be sentenced as adults and sent to adult
facilities. The primary solution to these problems is amending laws to stop any trying of
juveniles as adults. Problems with Trying Children as Adults
References
Baron, D. (2010). The impact of prosecuting youth in the adult criminal justice
system. Campaignforyouthjustice.org. Retrieved 28 July 2016, from
http://www.campaignforyouthjustice.org/
Children in Prison. (2016). Equal Justice Initiative. Retrieved 28 July 2016, from
http://www.eji.org/childrenprison
The Risks Juveniles Face When They Are Incarcerated with Adults. (2016).
Justicepolicy.org. Retrieved 28 July 2016, from http://www.justicepolicy.org/ 6
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DATE ANSWEREDOct 14, 2020
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