How do you negate this statement: JUVENILES CHARGED WITH CRIMES SHOULD BE TRIED AND PUNISHED AS ADULTS?

Question

I need some points for our debate on Monday....please....I need some ideas...

Answer 1

The purpose of juvenile justice is to rehabilitate, to improve the juvenile while protecting society. The purpose of the criminal justice system is to (1) punish the wrongdoer for his conduct; (2) deter others from so acting; (3) to protect society from the criminal; and (4) to rehabilitate.

Since the 1960s, the criminal justice system has substantially reduced its emphasis on rehabilitation. Thus, there are far less probation and parole officers (per thousand "clients") than there were at that time. The theory is really to punish the offenders in the criminal system.

Not so for the juvenile system. For juveniles, there is still hope (at least legally) for rehabilitation. This can be achieved through various social programs (which can include incarceration), drug, alcohol, psychological assistance, etc.

The idea is that the values of juveniles values can still be affected by intervention. Poor neighborhoods, socio-economic factors, and the environment, can all be counteracted, to some degree, by intensive assistance.

Now, those who believe that the juvenile should be tried as an adult would say that even children know right from wrong, and there are some crimes that children should not "get away with."

The answer to this is multi-fold. First, trying a child as an adult in many cases results in the child actually "getting away with it." Instead of being required, in the juvenile setting, to get counseling, etc., and a case-worker assigned, a juvenile may get probation or a few days in jail -- and in the adult system, probation may simply mean calling in.

Further, if the child goes to prison what does he learn -- the values and techniques of real criminals.

All people (except the most hardened criminals) will eventually get out of prison or the juvenile system. If we want these children to re-enter society with improved values and therefore less chance of recidivism, the only option is to provide the intensive resources necessary to assist them in reformulating values, eliminating drug and alcohol addiction, and addressing the social and psychological factors that led to the behavior in the first instance. These objectives cannot be achieved through the adult system.

Most states have crafted laws that allow children as young as 14 (or younger) to be tried as an adult in certain circumstances. One would hope that these are limited to those seriously aggravated circumstances where, literally, the only alternative is to warehouse the child, with no hope or desire for rehabilitation. If, however, the goal is to protect our cities and communities, and improve our society, the better option is to find the causes of criminal behavior, intervene early, and through intensive social programs offered by the juvenile justice system, prevent recidivism, as opposed to simply building more prisons and warehousing children.

(Be ready for the argument that these resources are available in prison -- they used to be, but they are not any more, at least not in most states. FOr this, you should probably research budgets)

Good luck

Answer 2

Oh no, not LD here! Oh well, I guess you should just make a point that juveniles are different from adults, and should thus be judged by different standards. Indeed, we could say there are three possibilities here:
Try and punish them to a lesser degree than adults
Or try and punish them to a higher degree than adults.
Or try and punish them in a totally different way than adults (perhaps treatment, but that's not the only option)
You could say that there abilities to make an ethical decision calculus before possibly committing a crime is impaired, so it would be unfair to punish them anything less than adults. You could also say that there should be examples made in order to stop rampant juvenile delinquency by spoiled kids who think they can get away with anything, so they should be punished more severely than adults. You could say that they need to be equipped with lessons for later in life and that's the main point of the punishment, so some kind of different punishment is required. Then again, it all depends on your viewpoint on justice.

Answer 3

• A society that punishes children (use the word children as the rhetoric is much stronger) with adult laws is a society that has failed its citizens.

- This is because children are not adults. They are not old enough to vote, own a home, join the military, own a credit card and other things because they do not yet posess the intellect, wisdom or experience to make such descisions or take on these reponsabilities. THEREFORE: How can you punish them as adults but not let them have all the other advantages of an adult.

Answer 4

Society is confronted w/this very question accepted. Juveniles are being charged for violent crimes accepted, even with the undeniable fact that violent those crimes may well be nonetheless does no longer exchange their age. definite, Juveniles could be punished, even with the undeniable fact that, putting them in a detention center w/ adults who will teach them much extra the thank you to commit crime isn't the thank you to rehabilitate. And supposedly that's what our reformatory device is for."REHABILITATION". i've got faith they could be placed in seperate centers. With suitable courses to help interior the rehabilitation technique.

Answer 5

If we are going to charge younger people as adults then they should be given all the rights of adulthood including the right to vote for those making the laws regarding them. Age of adulthood should change from 18 to 16 if we are going to keep charging them as adults we must treat them as adults in all areas.

Answer 6

Only juveniles who are as dangerous as adults, and who share the same degree of criminal culpability should be tried and punished as adults.

Children who lack the capacity to understand the long-term consequences of their actions should not be held to the same standards as adults who do.

Answer 7

I myself can not. I think that depending on the age that they SHOULD be tried as adults. I mean this being that the main reason kids are charged as kids is because they DO NOT know or understand that they should not do certain things like killing or rape. BUT as far as I am concerned a kid 14 years old knows that if you shoot someone they could die. SO why shoot them.

Answer 8

You do the crime; you do the time. How do you negate that? Don't do the crime. That is what parents are for.

Answer 9

U don't. I feel that they really should be tried as adult. A KID THAT HAS KILLED WILLINGLY SHOULDN'T GET OUT JUST BECAUSE HE IS A KID...

Answer 10

it would be illeagal cuz they would get banged in jail, haha