ed upon young criminals, it will deter others from following in their footsteps. The stronger the punishment, the more likely it is to deter young kids from committing acts of violence. Young minds are impressionable and if the juveniles know that they can be sentenced to death like an adult, the costs of the crime will greatly outweigh the possible benefits. Harsh punishments help to lower juvenile crime levels. The juveniles of today are becoming the criminals of tomorrow. By treating juveniles as adults we will stop the next wave of criminals. Violent juvenile crimes are more prevalent today than in past societies. We need to extinguish juvenile delinquency before it becomes out of hand. Harsh punishments handed down be adult courts help juveniles to realize the error of their ways and encourage them to become productive members of society as adults.At the core of this issue is justice. In a just society those who deserve rewards get them and those who deserve punishment receive it. The basic reason for punishing juvenile offenders is that they deserve it. If the juvenile made an adult decision to commit a crime, he should receive adult consequences. When adults commit heinous crimes we punish them to the fullest extent possible. However when juveniles commit equally terrible acts the juvenile court system does not have the authority to issue the same kinds of punishments. Therefore our court system does not hold juveniles to the same standards of justice as adults. When committing a crime, a juvenile, in theory, should be given absolute justice. We must hold them to the same standards as adults in the criminal justice system. Otherwise justice is not provided for the criminal or victim.Along with justice for the criminal, we must also consider justice for the victim. When anyone, juvenile or adult, commits a crime it will always have a negative impact on someone. When a crime is committed the victim’s rights ...
