UDC Juveniles Prosecuted as Adults & Held in Adult Prisons Discussion

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ncelyr18

Law

University of the District of Columbia

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Running head: SHOULD JUVENILES BE PROSECUTED AS ADULTS

Should Juveniles be prosecuted as Adults?
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SHOULD JUVENILES BE PROSECUTED AS ADULTS

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Should Juveniles be Prosecuted as Adults
Violent crimes can be defined as murder, rape, armed robbery, aggravated assault,
larceny-theft, and the like depending on state laws. Violent crimes are committed in the United
States every day. Almost one-half of them are committed by teenagers ages 13 through 17. If
minors who commit violent crimes were tried as adults and punished as adults, the statement of
violent crimes committed by youths would lessen. Therefore, in the future, the number of violent
crimes generally would reduce as stiffer penalties and punishments would be used to keep
violent offenders in prison for longer sentences. Should Juveniles be prosecuted as adults and
held in adult prisons? Over the years, the media has been baffled over the crimes that are
occurring. And it's seemingly more unfortunate that juveniles have been the face behind these
heinous crimes that are being committed in our communities. Suppose these young people
commit adult crimes using adult methods such as guns and other means of violence. In that case,
they should expect to be tried as adults, especially since these crimes have a continuous impact
on our communities.
Whether juveniles should be tried as adults and kept in adult prison is debatable. Some
argue that keeping juveniles in adult prisons is subjecting them to a very harsh environment since
they can be harassed physically or sexually. Others argue that keeping them juveniles in adult
prisons is a way of disciplining them for crimes they committed and provides a better
environment where they can develop mentally. This project seeks to recognize why it is
beneficial to try juveniles in adult courts and keep them in adult prisons. Despite the many types
of research done to prove that juveniles should not be tried in adult courts, neither should they be
kept in adult prisons, there is still an increase in the number of youths committing crimes. This is

SHOULD JUVENILES BE PROSECUTED AS ADULTS

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proof that prosecuting youths in juvenile courts and keeping them in juvenile prisons might not
be very effective and should be looked into.
Prosecuting juveniles as adults is not a new concept. It was used before the nineteenth
century where all children from seven years and above who committed crimes were considered
adults. They were then kept in adult prisons where they would serve their terms depending on the
crimes they had committed (Law Library, n.d). From the nineteenth century, juveniles were
formed where children would be prosecuted while committing crimes and offenses and kept in
juvenile prisons. The juvenile facilities were meant to act as rehabilitation centres for those
prosecuted (Gainsborough & Young, 2000). The aim was to get better results once the children
were received back to the community. Children held in adult prisons were becoming worse in
their conduct once released back to the community. To curb such results, juvenile courts and
prisons were introduced. They were adopted gradually, and in 1899, the first juvenile court was
opened in Chicago (Law Library, n.d). The court was established for two reasons; juveniles were
not mature enough to be held responsible for their deeds, and their character was not fully
developed; thus, they could be rehabilitated and reformed.
In recent times, courts have been resolving to adopt the principle of prosecuting juvenile
criminals in adult courts and holding them in adult prisons. This is due to the increased
complaints from the public that juvenile is out of control (Law Library, n.d). Crimes committed
by children are also increasing at a very high rate. One of the cases that have led to such
complaints is that of Kip Kinkel, who 15 years old was (Law Library, n.d). Prosecutors have the
mandate to choose where a juvenile criminal will be prosecuted based on their crimes. A "get
tough" policy has also increasingly been adopted where a judge cannot determine whether to try
a youth as an adult or as a kid. Factors that contribute to "get tough" being adopted include the

SHOULD JUVENILES BE PROSECUTED AS ADULTS

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complexion offender's actions, history of crime, and a psychiatric evaluation (Law Library, n.d).
With the increase...


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