Essay on Juvenile Crime and Punishment - 1045 Words

Juvenile Crime and Punishment The punishment of juvenile criminals, specifically those between the ages of 13 and 18, in the event that they commit crimes of murder, is not severe enough. Minors between these critical ages in the teenage life who commit crimes of murder should be prosecuted as adults in all situations and locations. Teenagers in this age group do kill others, old and young alike. The rate at which juveniles were arrested for murder rose 177 percent between 1978 and 1993 (NBER.org). This shows that there is a need for stopping or at least slowing this trend in homicidal acts. Statistics clearly show that juviniles between the ages of 14 and 17 during the years of 1976 to 1994 are increasing in numbers†¦show more content†¦In fact, many schools and communities have increased security in the hope that this security will deter students from violent actions like murder. Many families are severely affected as well. Just recently (October 22, 1999) Carla June Hochhalter, the mother of one of the students (Anne Marie Hochhalter) injured in the Columbine High School tragedy, committed suicide because of the stress caused by her daughters condition. This woman could no longer bear the tragedy that was caused by two young men who werent thinking how many lives they would shatter. Suicide is a terr ible way to handle situations, as the gunmen and mother of the injured girl did, but it does happen. What happens to teenagers who commit homicide now varies depending on the location of the incident, home state of the murder(s), and scope of the crime (e.g. were many killed or just one). After the Littleton shooting, Colorado lawmakers blocked votes on bills that would make it easier to carry concealed weapons, banned lawsuits against manufacturers, and pre-empted local gun laws (usatoday.com/96). In states like Texas, the Houston First District Court of Appeals upheld the Texas law that provides a punishment of life imprisonment upon conviction of capital murder by a certified juvenile, which is a young adult ages 12 through 17 (tjpc). All states should have the same laws as Texas when it comes to juvenile murderShow MoreRelatedEssay on Adult Crime Adult Time934 Words   |  4 Pages06 August 2013 Juvenile Crime In â€Å"Adult Crimes, Adult Time,† published in the Washington Post on March 29, 1998, Linda J. Collier argues about the juvenile laws and her principal argument shows that children should serve the same time as adults when they commit adult crimes. Collier provides some statistics and examples (Jonesboro shooting, Daily City shooting, and her experience with a particular girl) that support her position regarding the information of the article. The diversity of laws amongRead MoreSynthesis Essay- Juvenile Incarceration Into Adult Prisons1414 Words   |  6 PagesMrs. Boettcher 10/21/15 Pd.3 Synthesis Essay- Juvenile Incarceration into Adult Prisons Childhood is a time in which memories are created, adventures are explored and social awareness begins to develop. The events that occur during childhood are pivotal in the development of a healthy and substantial life. However, what if those experiences were taken from a child? What would the outcome be if a child could not experience what it is like to be young? Juvenile incarceration strips a person of theirRead MoreWhat Do You Think About The Juvenile Death Penalty? Many1622 Words   |  7 PagesWhat do you think about the juvenile death penalty? Many sides are against this kind of thing. They believe that juveniles are not fully matured and give in too easily to peer pressure. Juveniles are smart enough to know wrong from right even if they are getting pressured to do something. This essay is pro for death penalty for juveniles, because they can make their own decisions in their life. For starters this paper is going to give some information from people who think there should never beRead MoreThe Cost of Culpability: The Significance of Numbers Inside the Criminal Justice System (Age and Economics)1244 Words   |  5 Pages Both juveniles and mentally ill adult offenders fell under the above category, it was possible that one could be found not liable due to their age and mental status’ and win a victory in court that could be categorized as legal injustice. Throughout this paper, inconclusive evidence was found that suggested legal definitions were basically written the same but were interpreted differently by various courts. The only noticeable shifts were found in the application of these terms inside the criminalRead MoreThe Crimes And Crimes Of The United States1441 Words   |  6 PagesIn class essay #1 Nowadays, murders, rapists and other heinous crimes can be committed by anyone. A fourteen-year-old teenager murders someone or does a massacre in school can be often seen from the headline news of newspaper. However, these youth criminals may have much less severe punishment than adults may have who have done the same crime. A criminal is a criminal that must be punished as no difference between adult and youths; especially, the crimes are categorized under murder and rape. A bulletRead MoreJuveniles Being Tried as Adults1057 Words   |  5 PagesShould Minors Who Commit Violent Crimes Be Tried As Adults? Thesis Statement Many adults come up with many reasons why youth involve themselves with acts of violence, there is never an actual answer to why they committed the crime, but the question of why they are being tried as an adult. Vicious misconduct is well-defined by the Division of Juvenile Justice as â€Å"murder, rape, severe attacks, and theft. These are all actions that sound terrible and cause for harsh consequences. Unluckily, thereRead MoreThe Prison System1048 Words   |  5 PagesFinal Exam Essay Question #2 Question: Discuss the history of the prison system in the United States. Be sure to identify the various stages that the American prison system has gone through. Also identify what problems were present with each stage as you see them. Response: American prison system incarceration was not officially used as the main form of punishment in United States (U.S.) until around the 1800’s. Before that time criminals were mainly punished by public shaming, which involved punishmentsRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography On Juvenile Crime And Sentencing1510 Words   |  7 Pages Skip Hollandsworth candidly explores the subjects of juvenile crime and sentencing in the electronic long form newspaper article, â€Å"The Prisoner†. The purpose of the essay is to inform the reader about juvenile sentencing and to persuade the audience that there are clear problems with aspects of the U.S. prison system. The article is easily accessible to a large audience because it is online. Hollandsworth takes into account that his audience, mostly consisting of Texas Monthly readers, may alreadyRead MoreThe Death Penalty Of Capital Punishment960 Words   |  4 PagesThe justice system is filled with opposition. Those who support the use of Su permax, the death penalty and the execution of those who are mentally retarded and juveniles, and those who oppose the above mentioned. The following essay will discuss all mentioned topics. In evaluating the use of â€Å"Supermax† against the long-term pathologies it creates, one must first consider what pathogies it actually creates: (1) It plays a role in producing or exacerbating mental illness in prison; (2) it affectsRead MoreEssay about Juvenile Justice: Age and Judicial Culpability1543 Words   |  7 Pagessuggest that trying juveniles as adults and remanding them into adult facilities is ineffective at decreasing juvenile crime rates. These issues will be reviewed to determine if physical (chronological) age is a justifiable cause to lessen culpability or an excuse used to mask the ineffective research efforts of lawmakers. Culpability has long been defined as a legal term that is used by judicial officials to describe the level of responsibility each person has for a crime Giedd et al (1999).