Should Juveniles Be Tried As Adults

By definition a juvenile is “A person who is not yet old enough to be legally considered an adult” (Merriam Webster Dictionary). Despite this definition, America chooses to try juveniles as adults. Juveniles who commit certain violent crimes are subjected to being imprisoned in adult facilities. These violent crimes are known as the seven deadly sins and include murder, voluntary manslaughter, rape, aggravated sexual battery, aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation and armed robbery with a firearm. Over 200,000 juveniles are charged in adult courts every year in the United States and should not be (Should Juveniles Be Tried as Adults? 11). Despite the fact that juveniles are capable of committing violent crimes they should not be tried …show more content…
“America’s legal system recognizes that the mental competence of children under the age of eighteen has not fully developed thus minors are not allowed to vote, drink alcohol, or sign legal contracts” (Should Juveniles Be Tried as Adults? 11). If the United States do not find those under eighteen mentally competent to do these activities then they should not find them as mentally competent as an adult when it comes to crime. All other areas of the law besides the justice system acknowledges that minors cannot grasp the idea of right and wrong because they are not fully responsible until the age of eighteen. The juvenile justice system contains double standards for crime. The system views a fifteen year old as too incompetent to buy cigarettes, but find them perfectly competent if they kill a man over a cigarette. A juvenile’s brain has a different structure than an adult which causes them to act differently. “The frontal lobes of adolescents’ brains. Which affect their ability to control impulses and to anticipate the consequences of their actions, have not yet reached adult maturity” (Should Juveniles Be Tried as Adults? 31). Psychological research has proved that minors do not possess the capability to consider long-term consequences which causes them to act impulsively. This reduced capability motivates juveniles to act based on …show more content…
Not only are children too immature to understand their crimes, but they are also too immature to stand trial for their crimes. During a trial the court may not be able to accurately judge a juveniles maturity, leading them to be tried as an adult. The maturity of a child from the date their crime is committed to the time of their sentencing may increase. This causes it to be difficult to judge how mature a juvenile was when they committed their crime. A child’s maturity during a trial may make them unsuitable the defend themselves. Months or even years may pass between the offense and the start of the trial causing a minor to be punished because he appears, thinks and behaves more maturely than before (Should Juveniles Be Tried as Adults? 35). Immaturity undermines a minor's ability to make a meaningful and fully informed decision. Juveniles are incompetent to perform fully in court due to their immaturity. “A study by the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Adolescents Development found that youth under the age of eighteen are significantly impaired in their ability to understand criminal proceeding and comprehend the risk of their decision”(Should Juveniles Be Tried as Adults? 69). Minors also tend to comply with authority figures causing them to not have their own voice in court. The incompetence to stand trial may cause a juvenile to receive a harsh sentence in adult court. A minor is too immature to

Show More