Essay On Juveniles Should Not Be Tried As Adults

The public is quick to judge and hate on juveniles when they commit a crime without considering their circumstances. They think that if they commit adult crimes, they should be punished like them, and forget that they are not yet adults. If we have a juvenile court system, why are we not using it. Trying them as juveniles would be much more beneficial then trying them as adults. Although juveniles commit the same crimes as adults, juveniles should not be tried as adults because their brains are not fully matured, it decreases the likelihood of committing a serious crime again, and it heavily affects their mental health since they are young. 
When the adolescent brain is still developing, juveniles are credulous, immature, and easily influenced by outside factors like social media, school, and home life. These factors can lead to making impulsive and irrational decisions. In a study conducted by Nitin Gogtay and others at the National Institute of Mental Health, they found that the frontal lobes were the last part of the brain to mature. Even after 21 years, the brain continued to mature. That was an important finding because “…these are the areas which are in control of our emotions, impulses, high-level reasoning and decision-making and notably are the area’s most often associated with criminal behavior.” (Guy). So, when juveniles make the decision to commit a crime, it is impulsive and not well thought out because their frontal lobes are not fully developed the way adults’ frontal lobes are.
When a juvenile is tried as an adult, it increases the likelihood of them committing a serious crime again. Decreasing these chances would be ideal for everyone so to achieve it, we should prosecute juveniles in juvenile court. “Statistics gathered from 15 different states revealed that juveniles prosecuted in adult court and released from a state prison had a recidivism rate of 82% compared to a 16% rate for their adult counterparts.” (Regoli). When juveniles are sent to adult prisons, they are surrounded by adults and can be inclined to try to become like the older offenders to avoid being demeaned. “Minors sent to adult prison have a 20 percent higher chance of returning to prison someday than do those who go to juvenile detention centers. This suggests minors do not rehabilitate well when imprisoned with adults,” ("Trying minors"). If we put juveniles in the same facility as adults, they can be harmfully influenced with the damaging inspirations of adult criminals and can lead to future criminals and encourage future crimes.
Mental health is a significant part of human life, so treating juveniles with the correct mental care is crucial. “The adult system simply does not have the capacity to respond to the needs of children, especially those who are young, in ways that are developmentally appropriate,” (Connect us). Juveniles who are on the verge of becoming mentally ill and are sent to adult prisons are not given the opportunity to get help that is fit for them. Juveniles have “the right to education; medical and mental health care; due process; access to families, counsel and the courts; and safe and humane treatment,” ("Juvenile Detention"). Instead of juveniles being tried as an adult and sent to an adult prison, they should be tried as a juvenile because juvenile detention centers have professional help that are specifically directed towards them and not adults. 
Trying juveniles as juveniles instead of adults can improve the future with the juvenile justice system. To do this we must recognize that trying juveniles as adults is not the best way to get justice because juveniles do not have the same level of brain development as adults, it is more likely for another crime of the same severity to be committed, and it has detrimental affects to their mental health that can impact them in the future. As much as you may want them to be tried as adults, they are still young and should be given a second chance. Instead of punishing juveniles, we need to help them rehabilitate and educate them to not make these choices again in the future.