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 ...
