Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Government & Politics Juveniles Juveniles The Chambers Dictionary defines juvenile as “young; pertaining to or suited to youth or young people. Having or retaining characteristics of youth, childish.” The Texas judicial system defines a juvenile as one between the ages of 10 and 16. Juvenile courts have been established to provide justice for anyone classified as a juvenile who commits a crime. Although some argue that juveniles are well served in these courts, it is in the best interest of society that juvenile offenders be tried and prosecuted as adults. Juveniles should be held fully responsible for the crimes they commit because even though they are young, juveniles have the ability to distinguish between right and wrong when choosing to commit a crime. Trying juveniles as adults ensures a strict punishment, vindication for the victim, and the re-establishment of order and protection for society. Psychologists say that a child’s values and morals are permanently set by the time they reach the age of 5. Once juveniles have reached the legal juvenile age, they should not of problems discerning between right and wrong. Children are also taught to consider the possible consequences of their actions before following through with them. As children get older they should be able to fathom how their actions affect others. Juveniles make conscious decisions to commit crimes and therefore should be held responsible. Malice is also a factor dealing with an individual’s values. The American Heritage Dictionary defines malice as “the intent, without just cause or reason, to commit a wrongful act that will result in harm to another.” Since juvenile offenders have to have malice to commit their crimes, they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Another positive outcome of trying juveniles as adults is that the adult classification enables prosecution to seek a tougher punishment for the offender. If tougher sentences are enacted 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 are violated. These rights include the right to life, safety, and prosperity. The aim of the greater punishment offered by adult courts is to provide security and vindication for the victim. Say a juvenile killed your mother. The juvenile took away your mother’s right to live, and since the criminal is under the age of 16, they are prosecuted as a juvenile. Wouldn’t you feel like the killer’s punishment was too light? If the criminal had been tried as an adult his rights would have been taken away in the same way that he took the rights away from your mother. Punishing juveniles as adults enables the victim and their loved ones to receive greater vindication. The overall aim of the judicial system is to punish criminals to keep the rest of society safe. The Enlightenment philosopher John Locke proposed the idea of a social contract. Basically this means that the government has a duty to protect the rights of its citizens. If the government fails to punish criminals it has failed in protecting its citizens. Treating juvenile offenders as adults is advantageous for all of society. When individuals commit crimes their liberty has dominated the victims and all of society is harmed in some way. Our society is set up with a balance between the rights of every individual. When a crime is committed that balance is upset. Punishments restore order and protection to society because they restrict the liberties of criminals and correct the balance. In effect, this ensures the well being of society. If the punishment is not strict enough because of a criminal being tried as a juvenile, the balance of society remains upset and the basic needs of the victim have not been met by the government. In conclusion, juvenile offenders should be tried as adults. Adult classification enables the judicial system to punish offenders to the fullest extent of the law. Juveniles should be held responsible for their actions because they have values and morals and are able to realize consequences just as well as adults. The tougher punishments given by adult courts discourage other young people from committing crimes and help to keep society safer fro everyone. Justice is served for criminal and victim when the punishment allowed by adult courts compensates for the crime committed. When juveniles are tried as adults in the criminal justice program, society as a whole benefits. Bibliography: Word Count: 1030
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