Children in Adult Prisons Essay Example

The imprisonment of children treated as an adult in adult jails is inhumane. Children are receiving the same length of sentence and the same prison placement as an adult. Kids aren’t adults and should not be facing the same consequences as adults. Instead, they should be given the opportunity to receive support and understanding of their actions. Trina Garnett and Antonio Nunez are children that were sent to adult jails not knowing the consequences that they will face. Most of the condemned children were thirteen or fourteen years old and are still growing up with no understanding of the consequences. Children are being sent to adult prisons without the intent of killing innocent people.  Through the stories of Antonio Nunez and Trina Garnett, Bryan Stevenson communicates that it is an atrocity to send children to an adult prison and because of this they cant handle the pressure of missing out on daily life skills.

Stevenson uses the story of Trina Garnett to communicate that children need help in adult prisons, especially those dealing with mental or physical problems. Trina was a teen who had lost her mother and had been sexually abused by her father. She eventually managed to get away from her father. Trina Garnett wanted to see the boys in her neighborhood, but she set the house on fire, killing the two boys by accident. Trina was sentenced to adult prison, where she faced new dangers and challenges. In adult prison, “Trina's mental and physical health made life in prison extremely challenging. She was grateful for our help and showed remarkable improvement” (136). Trina is going to an adult prison with mental and physical health problems and not getting any help. The jail is doing nothing for children being sentenced to adult jail and children with problems. This is a major concern because she is in jail which she isn't supposed to be in. Trina should have been given the option of going to a juvenile jail. Although no one was helping Bryan Stevenson believed that children should not be sent to adult prisons and assisted Trina Garnett in her release. This is an atrocity for children who are being sent to adult prisons with no hope of receiving any kind of rehabilitation.

Additionally, Stevenson uses the story of Antonio Nunez to communicate that jails are too harsh on children and are getting no support from adult jails. Antonio Nunez was living with a lot of gang violence in his neighborhood which affected how he’s living. There were daily shootings in the neighborhood and killings. Antonio had to deal with beatings and his parents threatening to kill each other. Antonio was instructed to stage a kidnapping in order to obtain money, but when they were pursued by a random car, someone gave him a gun to shoot at the car, which he failed to do, and the car crashed. Antonio got sentenced to imprisonment until death and the county thought he could never change or be rehabilitated even though he had a difficult background and had no criminal record. Bryan Stevenson immediately “flew to California to meet Antonio at a maximum-security prison demonstrated by aggressive guards, hands, and frequent violence” (136). A 14-year-old boy is going to a maximum-security prison for no one getting injured. Antonio was even placed in maximum security for his whole life with strict rules, and they believed he couldn't change despite the fact that he had no criminal record and was going through a difficult time at home. Antonio has a significant problem with this because he has never learned adult life skills. The very worst situation is that he commits suicide or abuses drugs because being in a maximum-security prison for a child is inhumane. Antonio’s life is all ruined by harsh rules and being in a maximum prison with guards and violence. 

Overall, Stevenson provides examples of children sentenced to adult jail.  This is an inhumane and inappropriate option for children to get placed for their consequences. Examples are Trina Garnett and Antonio Nunez not being treated fairly in adult jail. When Trina was dealing with mental and physical issues, she was sentenced to adult prison, which further ruined her life. After Antonio staged a kidnapping and shot a cop car and missed it, he got sentenced to jail for his whole life. People were thinking that Antonio isn't able to become a better person after the incident. The larger issue surrounding the imprisonment of children going to adult jail today is cruel. It is of the utmost importance that society attends to this issue because children need to live their lives as both adults and children, and they need to learn basic adult life skills so that when they are released from prison, they know what to do. People need to change and protest against the incarceration of children in adult prisons for how they get treated.