Juvenile Punishment essays

Juvenile Punishment essays A serious question has been posed as to whether or not children should be treated as adults when they commit serious crimes. Unfortunately, no one knows the answer. Each case should be handled based on its own facts and circumstances surrounding the crime that was committed. Should we as society allow children to commit serious crimes and get away with them? Are the parents the ones who should be held responsible? Should we allow a 15 year old who has committed murder to run free through our neighborhoods and schools? What punishment should a juvenile receive for raping their next-door neighbor? The juvenile crime problem is not a new issue; it has been on the rise for a long time. With the FBI reporting a nearly fourfold increase in the murder arrest rate of people under 17 from 1965 to 1992, juvenile justice reform has become a national obsession. (Matza 1) People are now looking at what should be done about this problem, when they should have thought about that long ago. New laws are being passed everyday and new programs put into place to try to lower the numbers of crimes committed by juveniles, but how many are really working? Juveniles who commit serious crimes should receive more serious punishments. Some of the children come from abusive homes and a person could say this is part of the problem. However, should we blame the parents or punish the parents for the actions of their children? Some people argue that children are not mature enough to be held accountable for their actions. The fact that they were mature enough to commit the crime in the first place says that they are mature enough to take responsibility for their actions. Some say that children are not capable of understanding and do not develop mentally until between the ages of 18 and 21. So how are juveniles allowed to drive if this is the case? Serious crimes should receive serious punishments regardless of whom or how old the per...