Persuasive Essay on Juveniles Should Be Sentenced As Adults

In the society we live in, the possibilities are endless of what young people are capable of. Unfortunately not all things are good; in the state of California, 700 young people on average per year are incarcerated. Today I'm here advocating for the victims of violent crimes. I argue based on the crime that has been committed by juveniles: punishment should be equal to what an adult punishment would be. Juveniles should be sentenced as adults if the intentions of the crime are the same,concluding to murder. For the time now and the future, everyone should be accountable for what their actions have caused, consequences should be implemented for everyone. 

All cases are unique, there can't be one court decision that can be applied to all cases. For Example, Tiffany Eunick was a six year old little girl when she was murdered by a family friend Lionel Tate. Lionel was 12 years old at the time, he stated that he was simply “wrestling” yet when the autopsy came in with the reason of death it showed Tiffany had suffered a crushed skull, broken ribs, more than 30 internal bruises. Her liver had been shredded and pushed through her rib cage. The case was sent to the Broward State Attorney's Office and the decision was made to charge Lionel for five years in juvie. After five years, he was let free then later convicted for armed robbery. This case only shows how he did not take the opportunity to learn from his mistakes. He continues to be a menace to society. Some may argue that he didn't mean to kill her, this issue then leads to question what he was trying to do? In addition, if he does not get sentenced as an adult, what will stop him from not repeating his actions?

On the other hand, children can suffer from mental illness at a very young age, more than half of the time it goes undiagnosed. In the case of Slender Man, two sisters conspired a plan and stabbed a classmate 29 times as a defense to Slender Man because they believed he “threatened” to kill their family if they did not take action. Concluding, both girls were sentenced to three years in jail for second-degree attempt murder. Within the trial, it appeared that one of the girls was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a brain disorder, which means that it affects a person's thinking, sense of self, and perceptions. The disorder typically becomes evident during late adolescence or early adulthood. Overseeing this case, both girls were not in the right state of mind. This does not take away from the fact that they almost killed a girl, thankfully she survived but that is not a reason to brush this under the rug. The girls need to pay the consequences of what their actions caused. The best decision for this case is to get the girl's mental help so this issue does not repeat, they can do that while they are serving time in prison for the attempt of second-degree murder.

In order to fix this broken cycle of young people being charged as an adult, action needs to be taken. There is no need to wait until a life is taken and have an initiative taken to acknowledge that a person needs mental help. Mental illnesses are noticeable at very young ages when a child begins to struggle with anger issues for example. Not understanding the consequences of actions can be a cause of why children's impulsivity acts out. In the article “Beautiful Brains” by David Dobbs National Geographic. The text's big issue is explaining why teenagers do the things they do. The claim the text is making is that a child’s brain is not fully developed compared to an 18-year-old’s. The actions a “child” may make are because of them not being fully mature. In the text it states, “Teens take more risks not because they don’t understand the dangers but because they weigh risk versus reward differently: In situations where risk can get them something they want, they value the reward more heavily than adults do.” (paragraph 21). Ultimately, teens act out because they do consider the consequences their actions will cause. Being a teenager is all about learning and maturing into the adult they are soon to be. If they are enabled and not paying the repercussions for their bad actions, when they grow to be full adults they will struggle with right and wrong. This continuous issue only makes my thoughts about being sentenced as an adult stronger, so they understand and learn how the real world deals with punishments. Learning from your mistakes when you're young will only help you be a better person when you're older and increase the chances of never repeating the same mistakes.

It has now come to debate if a young child who commits a crime that typically only adults are capable of, should be given the same amount of jail time as an adult. After reviewing both cases, I can speak on behalf of my peers that if a person like the criminals in the cases were attending my school, students including myself would not feel safe. How can a person be let free when they are cable of murder? If they have gone so far to take a life, what else are they motivated for? I believe if they want a second chance in life to be free again, being in a psychological mental institute in prison should be mandatory. 

In a CNN article, “Should 11-Year Olds Be Charged With Adult Crimes?” by Philip Holloway, a CNN Legal Analyst. The text article claims that nobody with a soul can seriously ignore the tragic nature of the death of any child. However, two wrongs do not make a right; prosecuting a very young child for murder and sending him to prison for life is tragic in of itself. It essentially takes the life of a child and causes an unimaginable heartache for others that associate with that child. Although this idea is correct and understandable, the text supports the decision that children are children—they are not adults, and their brains do not work the same as an adult. This repeated issue again leads me back to asking the same questions. How can a person be let free when they are cable of murder? This problem only strengthens my feelings for if they want a second chance in life to be free again, being in a psychological prison is mandatory.

Although this is a never-ending argument and ultimately the last decision is left up to the judge. When thinking about what should be the punishment for a juvenile who has taken a life, all these factors should be taken into consideration. Acknowledging how this event happened before in different situations, there eventually needs to be an end to this problem. The best result for this, is to come to a mutual conclusion upon the 4 branches of court's deciding that applies to all scenarios, implying the big factors; mental help and serving time.