Deterrence
and Punishment with Juveniles
Can juveniles really be deterred
when it comes to the Criminal Justice System? Nathaniel Abraham was 11-
years-old when he was tried for murder as an adult. The Judge in the case chose to sentence
Nathaniel to a juvenile sentence only, but the judge could have given him an
adult sentence sending him to prison instead of a juvenile detention facility.
Over 50% of Americans back in
2001 believed that crime and not the age of the defendant should determine the
sentencing (Reaves, 2001). It is
important to note that scientists speculate that the prefrontal lobe of the
brain, which they believe may play a crucial role in the inhibition of inappropriate
behavior, doesn’t fully form until the age of 20 (Reaves, 2001). I think this is very important when dealing
with juveniles and crime. Rehabilitation
is better for a juvenile than direct-filing the juvenile as an adult.
Juveniles now are more mature and understand violence more so than 50
years ago. There is no doubt with what
is on the television today that our children know more than we did. They are subjected to more violence and
shootings on a regular basis. I don’t
think treating our children like adults is the answer. Diversion programs for non-violent crimes may
be part of the answer. Holding children
accountable for their actions and causing them to “work” for their mistakes,
and by “work” I mean community service hours.
I don’t mean 20 hours of community service hours, I mean a substantial
amount of community service hours. I
think another way that may impact the juvenile the defendant is to have them be
involved in victim impact panels. I
believe that having them sit face-to-face with victims may help them to
understand what kind of emotional impact that a crime has on the actual
victim. Victims are not faceless, and
that they are actual people
References
Reaves, J. (2001, May 17). TIME. Retrieved from
Should the Law Treat Kids and Adults Differently?:
http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,110232,00.html
Juveniles are the key to society futures. IN a juvenile has committed a violent offense, I think they should be able to enroll in programs that allow them to become rehabilitated. Most of society have become insensitive to the needs of the youth today. I remember when I was growing up everybody played a part in my raising from my grandparents to friends of the family. This type of remodeling has been replaced with video games, television shows and other things that allow the youth to become violent. We should never treat a kid like an adult because they are still learning.
ReplyDeleteRay I agree... I remember growing up getting my behind beat by my neighbor then going home getting it beat again. I think the saying is "it takes a village to raise a child."
DeleteChristina,
ReplyDeleteI believe that juveniles are easily affected emotionally than adults to the influence of treatment programs. Younger offenders are not as entrenched in negative peer association, nor do they penetrate as deeply into criminal activity. Age is a predictor of recidivism the younger the juvenile offender, and the more serious the misconduct the more likely that offender will be arrested again. (Good Blog) Fred...
Christina,
ReplyDeleteA very interesting blog. I’m not sure how I feel about juveniles being treated as adults. They are our future. I do not believe deterrence work for everybody. For example, most children are taught at a young age do not touch the hot stove otherwise you will get burned. Because of that, some children learn the word hot and others get burned. I understand juveniles are not mentally capable as an adult, but there has to be a way to hold them accountable for their actions when it comes to crimes especially horrific crimes. A great blog for thought.
Great topic! I really believe some juvenile offenders came be rehabilitated. In my opinion, there are two big hurdles we have to deal with. The first is un-diagnosed mental illnesses within some of the offenders. The second, is the routine quick to over-medicate solution. There are many juveniles that get in trouble because their underline issues haven't never been addressed. I do admit there are juveniles offenders who simply make poor decisions and choose to wrong over right. I do agree juveniles are exposed to crime, violence, other social issues much earlier than previous generations.
ReplyDeleteChristina: You have written a good blog on punishment of juvenile offenders. Professor Taylor
ReplyDelete