Our society has fallen under a belief in which juveniles and adults must be punished for the crimes they committed. Anyone who commits a crime must be held accountable and must take responsibility for their actions, but when it comes to determining their sentence, many individuals have different opinions.
In the article, "Juveniles Don't Deserve Life Sentences" by Gail Garinger, she explains how politicians are afraid of releasing "superpredators" at the age of 18 or 21. Garinger believes juveniles should not be sentenced to life in prison without parole. I agree with her argument because adolescents aren't in the right state of mind during their teen years. There are a numerous amount of factors that influence their decision making process, such as their peers and environment. During their young years, many of them are "susceptible to peer pressure, they are less mature, cannot escape from dangerous environments, and their characters are still in formation." How can we sentence young adults who are 13 or 14 years old to life without parole when their brains aren't fully developed? The teenage brain has several regions that are underdeveloped which are responsible for controlling thoughts, actions, and emotions. Should we still consider them as violent juvenile criminals under these circumstances?
These adolescents should be given a second chance to redeem themselves. They need all the help they can get, education and rehabilitation programs to improve themselves. Deciding the sentence of a juvenile should be determined when they are an adult, not a child.
I agree completely with what you are saying. These kids should not be given immediately the life sentence at such a young age because they are in the period of time in their life that they are barely discovering who they are as a person and making mistakes along the way to do so. If the child has to be punished for the actions by the court then they should look for different alternatives to fit the age of the child. You can not give a fourteen year old kid the same sentence you would give a man over the age of forty. In overall, these adolescence should not avoid getting punished by the law, but instead they should be punished fairly.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have a different view concerning the sentencing of juveniles, I can completely understand where you are coming from. In some ways I agree with you, but in others I do not. Even though their brains are undeveloped, I believe that we have morals, or boundaries, that are not taught but simply just known. I feel as though we are not taught to not kill others because it should be something we naturally know is wrong. However, I do agree that they should be given the chance to receive education and rehabilitation programs in order to progress.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on this topic. I do not think that it is fair for young adults as young as 13 and 14 to be sentenced to life in prison without parole when their brains are not fully developed. Teens that age gain plenty of knowledge street and school wise. That is when they learn the dos and don'ts of life. If they are sentenced to life in prison, they lost their future and wasted their lives. They are not given to have a second chance in life to correct and learn from their mistakes.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your claim. A child who is not in there mature or right mind state should not be held to the same standard as one who is. Furthermore, juveniles should still receive a punishment for their wrong doings. One that fits the crime but does not rob them of their life or send them down a path of despair. As to your question, I believe we should still consider them violent criminals until they have proven to the state and public that they have changed their ways and are ready to contribute to society. Lastly, "Deciding the sentence of a juvenile should be determined when they are an adult,not a child" ,are you saying that once they reach the age of 18 you would support a life sentence if they had not changed their ways ?
ReplyDeleteI partly agree with you. I agree that juveniles should not be treated as adults in the courtroom, and sentenced to neither life in prison nor a death penalty. Their brains are far too underdeveloped. According to Paul Thompson, "a massive loss of rain tissue..occurs in the teenage years." Moreover, it is exclusive to the frontal lobe, the region of the brain related to "impulses, risk-taking, and self-control" which can very possibly be the scientific reason for juvenile crime. Therefore, adolescents are entitled to some leeway in the courtroom. However, it should not go as far as only helping them with education and rehabilitation. That will simply coddle teenagers and give them reason to think that committing a crime is not so bad after all. A law was still broken so a consequence is necessary. Rehabilitation programs coupled with reasonable jail time is sufficient. The jail time opens their eyes to the horrors inside a prison cell while the program gives them hope so when the offenders are finally released, they have a proper foundation to turn themselves around and become law-abiding citizens.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Dahlia. Everyone deserves a second chance to redirect their path. Sentencing a juvenile to life in prison is a huge mistake. According to Dr. Frances Jensen they are adolescents whose brains have not yet been fully developed. No one is able to predict whether a juvenile will change or not. Of course they should still be charged with a penalty so they could be aware that they did wrong and learn from their mistakes; however they should not be sentenced to life in prison. Neglecting a second opportunity to a teenager is absurd. They eventually learn from their mistakes throughout time and rehabilitation. They need a second chance to prove society they have changed and are no longer a danger to society.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Dahlia. Everyone deserves a second chance to redirect their path. Sentencing a juvenile to life in prison is a huge mistake. According to Dr. Frances Jensen they are adolescents whose brains have not yet been fully developed. No one is able to predict whether a juvenile will change or not. Of course they should still be charged with a penalty so they could be aware that they did wrong and learn from their mistakes; however they should not be sentenced to life in prison. Neglecting a second opportunity to a teenager is absurd. They eventually learn from their mistakes throughout time and rehabilitation. They need a second chance to prove society they have changed and are no longer a danger to society.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. Adolescents Do not think the same way adults. Many teenagers act withouth thinking and don't think of the consequences of any consequences that may occur. I feel that juveniles deserve a second chance , and can have an opportunity to become a better person. No one can really predict if someone is going to change but it doesn't hurt to give these young adolescents the chance to change. However, I think they do deserve to be punished just not the same way as an adult. I think that many juveniles do a crime because of there surrounding, giving them there second chance they can see life in a different perspective.
DeleteDon't mean to be a buzz kill, but I absolutely disagree with all of you. It doesn't matter what stage a juvenile is in their lifetime they cannot commit a murder and just get a slap on the hand saying "don't do it again". Sure everybody does dumb things as a child but a murder is not acceptable. You have to wake up and put yourself in a victims shoes and ask yourself if you would still think the way that you do after a tragedy.
ReplyDeleteBut it is not their fault and children are very emotional as they grow up and become an adult. They are very fragile like glass. Furthermore, we are not to judge them because pretty much we did became kids in the past. The only difference is we did not commit a crime because somehow we manage to distinguish what is right and what is wrong. You know why? Because it is the way our parents raise us that differs us from the teens who actually committed a crime. In their case I think their parents are not very caring as ours which led them to think for themselves and do a crime. If you ask me, yes they are children and they have the ability to commit a very heinous crime, but think about the stuff like do these kids even have parents? Would you show more hatred to them or regret it in the end because you yourself is feeling sorry for what they have done and what they have experienced in the past.
DeleteI understand where you are coming from and how you feel about this topic Dahlia, but in reality, do you really think that they will change? How would we know if teens fully understand that what they did was a illegal? I disagree with you on a few things. Yes, kids will be kids, they commit mistakes along the way, but so does everyone else. Adults commit mistakes too. However, I absouletly agree with Oscar. No matter what age you are, you committed the crime and now you need to accept the consequences. It's the only way to be sure if teenagers did learn from their mistakes.
ReplyDeleteIt is a nice idea to let the kids redeem themselves from the crime they did, yet I do believe in the life sentence for ids who committed a crime that is unforgivable. We all want kids to succeed in life yet kids have to learn how to pay the price and they might be able to get on parole but they need to change their ways.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you however there will always be a risk in trusting the teenagers will change. It is not guaranteed that a teenager will change or become a better individual following the crime. I believe that everyone deserves a second chance including people who have committed crimes in the past. Sentencing a juvenile to life in prison will only cause another death. A teenager has so much potential that should not be shot down because of a rash decision.
ReplyDelete