Should American Courts Punish Juveniles As Adults

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Mark Twain once said “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned” (Santich 4). That being said, it means he was able to understand and appreciate his father better as he got older. The teenage years are the years that children develop into functioning adults. Right and wrong, good versus evil, and ability for conscious decisions grows. However, American courts punish juveniles as adults, despite the large difference there is between the two groups. In doing so, juvenile offenders become more likely to offend again. American Courts should not be allowed to punish juvenile offenders as adults based on parental responsibility, cognitive development, and an ability to rehabilitate …show more content…
According to the American Psychological Association a parent-child relationship is crucial to adolescent development and that children cannot learn what has not been taught (Brank & Haby 1). While the parents should not be held solely responsible, many juvenile crimes are reactions of something that has happened in their home life. Yet courts are starting to backpedal away from parents, and putting more blame and punishment on the juveniles, thus affecting their futures. Deshaun Bsbee explained to NBC reporters that now juveniles who get convicted of minor infractions can have consequences lasting into their adult years (1). Research shows that a teens prefrontal cortex does not even develop until mid 20s, making them somewhat ignorant to consequences of their

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