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Minor - or Criminal?

Charging a juvenile as an adult is like feeding a puppy, dog croquettes that they aren't

able to chew on. From the early 1990s to the late 2010s the juvenile crime rate drop down by

52% (OJJDP). Around the United States an estimate of 250,000 juveniles are being tried and

sentenced as adults (Youth in Justice System). 10,000 of those juveniles are held in adult jails.

Juveniles face many dangers in these prisons with no way of keeping them safe. The prisons are

not allowed to separate the minors nor give them any special security (Youth in Justice System).

Many juveniles are living at home and are in residential placements. Many juveniles are sent to

detention centers ordered by courts or are being held there until their next court date. These

detention centers are all fully secured all day long. These detention centers provided programs

and quality service to these minors that are needed. Treatment programs services are given to

those according to their needs (NC DPS Juvenile Detention Centers). Although opponents

claim juveniles should be charged as adults for their crimes its a bad idea because jail can

be dangerous for minors, we should provide the help they need, and they should be able to

continue their life.

Although many people believe it's just easier to lock juvenile offenders up in jail and

make them served time being in jail with other adults bring many dangers to a minor. 1.8% of

juveniles between the ages of 16 and 17 are being sexually abused in these prisons. The

Department of Justice reported that one in ten of these juveniles report about their abuse (Lahey).

These minors are not only being abused but they also are not speaking out about it. While being

in the prisons these minors are not treated any differently from the other inmates. Regardless of

their crime no juvenile should suffer from any kind of abuse. Juveniles in an adult prison are five
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times more likely to get sexually assaulted (Children in Adult Prisons). Fourteen states have no

minimum in trying children as adults. Some children starting at the age of 8 have been

prosecuted as adults while in other states have a minimum to charge these kids at the ages of 10-

13(All Children are Children).

At the age of 13 Joe Sullivan was charged as an adult and was sent to prison as life time.

He was sent to a prison in Florida where he was repeatedly assaulted and sexually abused. At the

age of 27 Joe began showing signs of multiple sclerosis, sclerosis is a disabling disease of the

central nerve system that disrupts information flowing within the brain (What is MS?). Experts

believe Joe developed multiple sclerosis by the trauma and abuse he suffered while being in

prison. Now that Joe is 37 he is confined to a wheelchair (All Children are Children). Many

prisons do not separate minors from the adult inmates when they do it's not always helpful. Ian

Manuel was 13 when he was given lifetime after committing robbery due to peer pressure. When

he arrived to a prison in Central Florida he was too small to fit any uniform given to him. A few

months after being there Ian was sent to a prison with extra security where he was put into a

solitary confinement because of his age and size (All Children are Children). Ian was left in that

closet sized room for 18 years where hed get his food through a slot and never saw other

inmates and had limited of reading resources. After being isolated for such a long time and in a

small room he attempted suicide multiple times and is recovery of suffering of trauma(All

Children are Children). This is not the kind of punishment court should be giving to these

minors. These punishment are cruel and are only causing mental illness to these minors after the

abuse they suffer while being in prison. In 2005 court declared that death by execution to a

juvenile was unconstitutional for minors. Before that 365 children were legally executed in the

United States (All Children are Children). These punishments given to these minors such as the
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death penalty and life time in prison are cruel and are in violation of the eighth amendment in the

United States Constitution. The eighth amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishments that

are given to many of these juveniles in court. There are many Juvenile Detention Centers that are

more efficient to these minors than putting them in prisons with adults. They are getting no help

in prison, they are facing many dangers being around the other inmates or are developing mental

illness after being isolated. Adult prisons is not where these minors will get help, this is not

where they belong.

Juveniles should be given help to grow and change their ways before charging them as

adults. Many juveniles entering the criminal justice system bring along many problems such as

substance abuse, academic failure, emotional disturbances, physical health issues, family

problems, and a history of physical or sexual abuse. Females make up one third of the juvenile

arrest. A high percent of them suffered from emotional, sexual, or physical abuse (Principles of

Drug Abuse). Studies report a high rate use of drugs in these juvenile offenders. Half of these

juveniles have a disorder used both in male and females. These adolescents deal with other

problems that are leading them to wrong decisions. Not all juveniles have drug disorders those

who do are sometimes given treatment in court. The treatment given to these juveniles has shown

to be very effective in a positive way (Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for Criminal Justice

Populations). The government spends more money locking these juveniles in prisons than

providing them treatments that will later help them out in life and become a better person

(Principles of Drug Abuse).

Positive or negative families play an important role in childrens lives. Parental abuse or

involving in crime, physical or sexual abuse by a family members, and lack of parental

involvement are all risk factors for adolescent substance abuse and delinquent behavior
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(Principles of Drug Abuse). Therapy given to these families have proven to strengthen these

families and decrease of delinquent behavior. We need to continue to provide programs for these

minors to lead them in the right path and guide them into becoming a positive outcome in our

society. Sending them to adult prisons is an easy way to try to get rid of these juveniles but,

helping them will not only change their lives it will also continue to help bring the crime rate

down.

Juveniles should not have to spent the rest of their life stuck in adult prisons. Court

sentence juveniles lifetime in prisons at a young age. Prisons don't provide any program to these

juveniles while serving time. They are taken away from school and their families at such a young

age to be punished. Rehabilitation has provided a big help dropping the juvenile crime rate

down. In the state of Missouri the success in rehabilitation is shown to be 92% (Matthew House).

Providing these juveniles rehabilitation helping them improve and grow is better than sending

them to prison and having them back a year later with no change. Gary Scott who was a juvenile

said If Rehabilitation is the goal for teenagers who are tried and sentenced as adults, then prison

is not the answer (Scott). Gary Scott was 15 when he was charged as an adult for second degree

murder, second degree murder is an intentional killing that was not premeditated and is still

doing time after fourteen years (Scott). A juvenile is around so many negative behavior in

prisons and just follow up on these actions. A juvenile seeks safety in this prisons with weapons

and gangs (Scott). These juveniles are sent to prison feeling lonely and hopeless with no way of

thinking how their behavior can improve because survival is what's on their mind(Scott). Giving

them the opportunity to rethink their actions and explain their reasons is more helpful to their

future than leaving them in jail with no voice (Scott). These juveniles are not as mature as these

adults. The Juvenile Justice system was created to help these minors into becoming productive
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members in our society. Theyre still more immature than most adults and need the help they

need to understand mistakes and right decisions. Adult prisons do not provide anything

productive to these juveniles but clothes that are too big and a negative atmosphere.

Although many believe they should serve the time after committing the crime adult

prisons release up to 405,000 prisons a few years ago 87% of them returned committing a new

crime (Slifer). We can release these adults to go keep committing crimes but we can't release

these children to continue living life? Juveniles are being sentence a long time in prison than

adults with no parole. Even murders are released after 20 and are given parole, but if a juvenile

commits burglary the word parole does not exist in that case. Youre taking these children who

aren't even fully developed adults and making a decisions that will impact the rest of their lives.

Standing in front of the courtroom their lives lie in the judges decision they chose what comes

to these juveniles.

Many disagree with giving these minors treatment or help for their disordered because of

the amount of money the government is investing in them. In 2007 health cost, hospitalization

and government treatment was estimated to be $14.6 billion (Principles of Drug Abuse). Each

state in the United States pays an average of $100,000 - $300,000 per person each year (Sneed).

The juveniles are sent to prison starting at a young age as 10 and are giving lifetime. That's an

average of $1billion - $3 billion the government would be paying for every year for every 10,000

juvenile being sent to adult prisons. We should be using that money to provide these minors the

treatment the need to overcome any kind of abuse they are facing. Juvenile programs have

helped drop the crime rate by 46% between 2006 to 2010 (Evidence-based practices). We should

keep using the money to help these juveniles not keep them in prisons. The Justice Court also
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provides Multisystemic Therapy and Family Functional Therapy that have proven to being really

effective on behavior and change (Evidence-based practices).

Although many believe they should serve the time after committing the crime adult

prisons release up to 405,000 prisons a few years ago 87% of them returned committing a new

crime (Slifer). We can release these adults to go keep committing crimes but we can't release

these children to continue living life? Juveniles are being sentence a long time in prison than

adults with no parole. Even murders are released after 20 and are given parole, but if a juvenile

commits burglary the word parole does not exist in that case. Youre taking these children who

aren't even fully developed adults and making a decisions that will impact the rest of their lives.

Standing in front of the courtroom their lives lie in the judges decision they chose what comes

to these juveniles.

With the graph provided you can see the juvenile crime rate has an immense decrease

since 2006. The programs being provided to help these juveniles has been a major impact. If we
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have these resources to help keep the crime rate down than adult prisons should not be a choice

nor an answer for these minors. These programs have provided these juveniles a positive and

productive experience in their life and are not doing better than ever. The graph also shows some

increase in 2012 that later than dropped down but came up again in 2015. The goal should be to

keep the crime rate down as much as we can by helping and providing for these juveniles.

Juveniles have been charged harshly as adults in the past years given lifetime sentences

without parole. The juvenile crime has had a great decrease since the past decade and only keeps

decreasing more. At least 10,000 minors are being arrested and sent to adult prisons ordered by

the court. Adult prisons is not where we should be putting our minors in as a punishment. Adult

prisons has are not helping these minors grow and become better. There are better and more

efficient ways to help them become more productive. Juveniles should not be charged as adults

when they run many risks in jail, we can work with them and help them make better choices, and

having lifetime is only having their lives taken away. A minor having lifetime is having a baby

skip his/her teenage years straight to adulthood with no way of going back. Was their crime

worth lifetime suffrage without parole?

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Works Cited

All Children Are Children. Equal Justice Initiative. n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.

Evidence-based practices. Models for Change:Systems Reform in Juvenile Justice. n.d. Web.

03 Dec. 2016.

Lahey, Jessica. The Steep Cost of Keeping Juveniles in Adult Prisons. The Atlantic. 08 Jan.

2016. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.

Matthew House: Rehabilitation vs. jail for juveniles. The Orange County Register. 23 July

2010. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.

Principles of Drug Abuse Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations - A Research-Based

Guide. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Apr. 2014. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.

Scott, Gary. Prison Is Too Violent For Young Offenders. New York Times. 05 June 2012. Web.

03 Dec. 2016

Sneed, Tierney. What Youth Incarceration Costs Taxpayers. Us News. 09 Dec. 2014. Web. 03
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Dec. 2016

"U.S.Violent Crime Rate Graph 1990-2015 | Statista." Statista. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec.

2016.2016.

What is MS? National Multiple Sclerosis Society. n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.