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Juvenile Justice

Traditionally the ideology of the American juvenile justice system in this country has embodied the belief that the moral character of juveniles is less formed than adults, thus they are viewed as more deserving of a second chance than their adult counterparts. However, an increasing number of violent juvenile crimes have begun to turn the tide on this belief in the opposite direction. A seemingly callous new breed of violent juvenile offenders are making many believe juveniles should be jailed alongside adult offenders. At the core of this division in belief a conflict regarding human nature. The main question it poses is: Should juveniles be responsible for their actions to the same degree as adults? Recently, a six-year-old boy acquired a gun from the floor of his uncle’s crack house and fatally shot a six-year-old schoolmate. No one questioned the decision by authorities to prosecute the uncle while exonerating the child of any crimes. However, is a 12-year-old developed enough to be much more responsible than a six-year-old for his or her actions? Many argue that no juvenile should drive, vote, serve his or her country, drink alcoholic beverages, or smoke tobacco before they are 18 or 21 because they are not responsible enough to handle these things. However, many argue that 11-16-year-olds are as responsible as adults for delinquent behavior, “In 1999, 100 years after the establishment of the nation’s first juvenile court, virtually all states have succeeded in passing legislation to criminalize or ‘adultify’ their juvenile justice systems. It is no easier to transfer juveniles to adult court, hold them in adult jails and sentence them to adult prisons. Most of the laws require judges to impose harsher and longer sentences than ever before” (Dodge 1).

Further, the trend toward criminalizing juvenile offenses goes against the empirical evidence that has been acquired on juvenile delinquency. Many belie...

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Juvenile Justice. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 16:33, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1684890.html