Veronique Manga

March 23, 2015

POS 1010 LD01
Essay 2

When Is a Teen Actually a Teen?

Should teenagers be tried as adults? Opinions differ. Some people argue that teenagers
don't know what they are doing when they commit a crime and are still too young to comprehend
what is right and wrong. I totally disagree. I am old enough to know that committing a crime is
wrong and that if I commit one, I will be punished. Anyone who says teens can't tell right from
wrong is either too old to remember what being a teenager is like or they are a teenager who has
committed a crime and don't want to be tried as an adult. In either case, they are wrong. All teens
know that killing is wrong, yet they do it anyway and get away with a light sentence because of
their age. Even if a teen didn't know it was wrong, it doesn't mean it's right. They should still be
punished. If they aren't, they will think that crimes are okay and continue to commit them.
The trend in juvenile law towards prosecuting juveniles as adults raises a number of
questions: Why is there a separate juvenile justice system and what is its intended function?
Should minors who commit crimes be treated the same as adults? If delinquent juveniles are
treated as adults, then what are the implications for the treatment of non-delinquent children?
These are not new questions! Current trends have moved towards increasing criminal
accountability however, have shifted the focus of juvenile justice systems from rehabilitation to
punishment. (Cuncannan)
This trend has led to a growing acceptance of the idea that adolescents possess sufficient
competence and legal capacity to be held criminally responsible. While this trend in juvenile law
flourishes, non-delinquent youth are still presumed to lack the level of competence necessary to
exercise the same legal rights as adults.'" Although different policy considerations account for
this disparity the result is that the law holds minors criminally responsible while denying them
many legal rights outside the area of delinquency.

Studies show that by age seven juveniles are fully aware of their actions (Casey, Jones,
Hare). They know what they are doing and if its right or wrong. Determining if an action is right
or wrong is something people bring up in a hearing to decide if a juvenile should be tried as an
adult. People argue they are too young and juveniles dont fully understand what they are doing
and the consequences. This has been proven wrong as parents teach their kids what is right or
wrong and juveniles know whats up by the age of seven.
In addition to children being responsible for their actions, juveniles commit the same
crimes as adults. When juveniles commit smaller crimes such as robbery they are more often
tried as kids. This gives them slightly less severe punishments. Adults who do the same get
harsher punishments. Is this fair? Its the same crime, so why not the same punishment? The
juveniles had to have known what they were doing, so why the difference? There should be no
difference. Juveniles are just as responsible for their actions as adults, so why not try them as
adults. When juveniles commit a crime such as murder they are first given a hearing to determine
if they should be tried as adults or as kids. If they are tried as juveniles, they cannot be given a
life sentence. People say it is fair because they are just children. Yes, children who have killed
someone. Does anyone want to walk around knowing some of the people around them could
have killed someone as a child?
Juveniles who get out of juvenile centers are likely to be back in detention centers again..
Juveniles are out and back in detention centers shortly after. The logical thing to do is try them as
adults and get them the harsher punishments they need and help prevent future crimes. People
say juveniles are kids and need to be treated like kids. However, the same people say kids need to
be more prepared for the real world. If juveniles dont receive the hard punishments they

deserve, they will be in and out of detention centers and when they are adults they will not have
learned their lessons and will not be prepared for the punishments they receive.
Teens today don't fear the law because they don't think they will get caught. And if they
do, they know they have a good chance of getting off because they are tried as teens and not
adults. We have to get tougher on crime. There should be a law that everyone over eleven years
old will be tried as adults. That way more teens would be discouraged from committing crimes.
They would know that murder would get them a very long sentence instead of staying in juvenile
hall until they are eighteen. If we want to cut down on teen crime, we have to have tougher laws.

Work Cited
Casey, B.J., Jones, R.M., and Hare, T. R., . The Adolescent Brain.Annals of the New
York Academy of Sciences 1124 (2008): 111126. PMC. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
Cuncannan, J., Only When Theyre Bad: The Rights and Responsibilities of Our Children, 51
Wash. U. J. Urb. & Contemp. L. 273 (1997) Web. 24 March. 2015.