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In different parts of world, violent crimes are perpetrated daily. Teenagers aged 13 to 17 are responsible for about half of all crimes. Many individuals insist that juveniles be judged as adults for their crimes, while others think that juveniles should be given second chances, lower punishments, and no further confinement since they are too immature to comprehend (Arora, 2019). The question of whether it would be appropriate to sentence someone to prison and be treated as adults, beginning at age 13, are being discussed. Does nature or nurture play a role in criminal behavior? Do the young people in question comprehend what they are doing and the implications of it?
The following article reflects the different shades of Juvenile crime and the debatable aspect of the punishment. As per the article, rearrests rates for adults were 16 percent lower than for adults who were charged as juveniles in adult court and freed from state jail, according to statistics collated from 15 states. Juveniles were rearrested 82 percent more frequently than adults. While this is going on, studies have shown that young people who are charged in juvenile court benefit from the services made accessible to them since juvenile institutions offer resources and programs created with young people in mind. The chances for juveniles in adult court to gain the essential knowledge, abilities, and experiences necessary for their success as adults are frequently lost to them; instead, they are sent to a setting where adult offenders serve as their mentors. There were refute impacts of transferring legislation, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention report that examined the results for adolescents tried in adult criminal justice system rather than juvenile court. According to an analysis of six research, children charged in adult court experienced higher overall recurrence than juveniles whose offences "matched" those charged in juvenile court, also more quickly and frequently, juveniles in adult court recidivated. These greater recurrence rates can be linked to a number of factors, such as inaccessibility to rehabilitation programs in the adult correctional system, issues with living among adult offenders, and both direct and indirect repercussions of a criminal record on a juvenile's life prospects.
The above authors discuss the pros and cons of treating children similarly to adults for the crime. As per the book, Children younger than 18 can execute heinous offenses even if they are considered juveniles due to their age. About 350 people are killed every year as a result of a single juvenile offender, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Despite being one of the highest rates in the world today, this statistic is around 75% lower than it was in the early 1990s. Killings that involve juveniles and adults together account for around 40% of all murders, so the penalty offered will be suitable. The OJJDP claims that data from 2016 shows that 700 or more homicides in the United States included known juvenile offenders. That amounts to around 7% of the nation's total number of convicted murderers. After declining in the 1990s, the projected number of juvenile murderers rose by 32% between 2003 and 2006 before declining by 31% from that point through 2016. This means that it will avoid the repeated crime rate.
The above-referred book explains the negative aspect of treating children as adults related to crime. It doesn't consider the child's age or aptitude. Adolescent psychologist Laurence Steinberg stated to Inside Edition in 2018 that it is uncommon to have minors tried as adults. According to him, the juvenile justice system should only provide this choice to repeat violent offenders who are at least 15 years old. Steinberg stated that it was unlikely that the 10-year-old Wisconsin child would pass a competence test to be tried in the first place. It is unlawful to hold a trial for a person who is unaware of the proceedings.
As per the authors, it gives victims a sense of assurance about the legal system. The criminal justice system must react effectively when young children decide to conduct planned crimes, such as killing, even if it does not happen frequently. The state of Wisconsin has a case involving a 10-year-old girl who was accused of killing a 6-month-old in 2018. According to state law, anyone who is 10 years old or older must have their case heard in adult criminal justice system. Serious crimes are treated with the respect they merit.
Many of the serious offences that youngsters commit make one wonder how secure a neighborhood would be if they were permitted to go free or serve a light or alternative term. When Diante Pellum, then 14, was charged for allegedly shooting another adolescent in the back of the head near Federal Way, Washington, he was just 14 years old.
The book offers a variety of contrasting perspectives on the reasons why young people commit crimes and how the criminal justice system ought to handle them. The primary risk factors for adolescent criminality are emphasized in each argument. A significant factor in youth violence, for instance, is gang activity. Some teenagers join gangs to feel safe and protected and to have a feeling of community. In order to create solid relationships and great role models, the community should put its attention there. Others disagree, arguing that there should be better options available and that adult incarceration is inappropriate for minor criminals. This theory contends that hazardous conduct in adolescence results from the interplay of two different neurobiological systems, a socio emotional system and brain development. Improvements in thinking skills are a result of the development of the cognitive control system. These processes happen at different times in adolescence and have distinct effects on cognitive development. Many people would feel sorry for the adolescent and think they should simply seek assistance for it since they didn't realize what they were doing or because they have a mental issue. Here are a few instances where young people have committed crimes. In the United Kingdom, a 12-year-old boy fatally stabbed his six-month-old baby brother 17 times and severed his left hand from his body as he was in his cot.
The article is focused on demonstrating both the causes and effects of youth violence. The commentary elaborates on juvenile justice in depth. While doing so, it explores both the causes and consequences of juvenile misbehavior. The article's main goal is to clarify who the law regards as a criminal offense, what constitutes a juvenile offense, and how the juvenile court operates to guarantee that everyone, including the youth detention, receives justice. The article's other function might be viewed as a manual for illustrating the juvenile justice process, which includes the offense, the classification of the criminal, the participants, and the judicial branch. The article's main goal is to list the numerous causes and consequences of juvenile misbehavior. Our current societal sociopolitical systems, not biological principles, govern what constitutes illegal activity (Morley & Hall, 2003). There are three alternative methods to characterize antisocial conduct, according to authors Morley and Hall (2003) who have looked into the genetic implications on criminal behavior. First, delinquency and criminalization, both of which include committing crimes, coexist among teenagers. Adolescent criminal behavior must be influenced by a variety of psychological variables. Some people assert that they were forced to do it, while others claim that they were suffering from an illness like schizophrenia. Genetic, cultural, and psychological theories are some of those linked to criminal conduct.
The book explains, while the parent is incarcerated, it puts the child at risk. Approximately 10,000 youngsters are presently kept in adult prisons or jails throughout the United States on any given day. This attitude to the crime puts children in needless danger since a kid doing time in an adult jail is five times more likely to experience sexual assault than if they are in a juvenile institution. Additionally, suicide is 36 times more likely to occur in these children. Considerable factors include untreated mental diseases, a lack of expertise in coping with anxiety or stress, and impulsive behavior that is more influenced by evolutionary factors than by logical conclusions. Youth have greater chances to commit crimes again as a result.
Juvenile offenders often experience substantially lower rates of recidivism than adults who get jail or prison sentences. Generally speaking, rates range from a low of 7% after one year to a high of 79 % after seven years from the date of its original distribution. If they were sentenced to a young facility, the rates for youth offenders range from a low of 0% after 1 year to a high of 41% after 5 years. Juveniles' rates rise to equal those of older offenders when they are in the same legal system as adults.
American Bar Association.(2016).Should Juveniles Be Charged as Adults in the Criminal Justice System? Retrieved from https://www.americanbar.org/groups/litigation/committees/childrens-rights/articles/2016/should-juveniles-be-charged-as-adults/
Arora, A. (2019). Juvenile crime and anticipated punishment. Available at SSRN 3095312.
Cauffman, E., Fine, A., Mahler, A., & Simmons, C. (2018). How developmental science influences juvenile justice reform. UC Irvine L. Rev., 8, 21.
Lapp, K. (2019). Young adults & criminal jurisdiction. Am. Crim. L. Rev., 56, 357.
Matthews, S., Schiraldi, V., & Chester, L. (2018). Youth justice in Europe: Experience of Germany, the Netherlands, and Croatia in providing developmentally appropriate responses to emerging adults in the criminal justice system. Justice Evaluation Journal, 1(1), 59-81.
Merino, N. (2010). Juvenile crime. Greenhaven Press.
Morley, K. I., & Hall, W. D. (2003). Is there a genetic susceptibility to engage in criminal acts? (No. 110, pp. 1-6). Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology.
Roberts, C. H. (2018). Juvenile Delinquency: Cause and Effect. Retrieved from: https://teachersinstitute.yale.edu/curriculum/units/2000/2/00.02.05.x.html.
Welch, K., Butler, L. F., & Gertz, M. (2019). Saving children, damning adults? An examination of public support for juvenile rehabilitation and adult punishment. Criminal Justice Review, 44(4), 470-491
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