This means that those under the age of eighteen are treated as juveniles and are tried in the Juvenile Justice System. Therefore, the juvenile development stage should be taken into consideration. Are harsh punishments effective? Many studies show that harsh punishments are not an effective way for juvenile offenders to be treated. Those who receive harsh punishments have a greater chance of committing crimes again than those who have obtained less severe punishments. According to the text, “Research suggests that adolescents squeezed through the adult system are more likely to come out as violent career criminals than similar kids handled on the juvenile side” (Lundstrom 22). In other words, stringent punishments can decrease a juvenile's chance of receiving rehabilitation and raise the probability that they will commit crimes as adults. Other methods, such as rehabilitation centers, have been demonstrated to be more successful in lowering crime rates and encouraging young offenders to have positive outcomes. Overall, juveniles who commit serious crimes should be held accountable for their infamous actions with a balance of