Juveniles and Adult Incarceration

Paper Summary:

This is a persuasive research paper that suggests that juveniles should not be tried as adults. The author argues that adult sentencing for juveniles will fail to minimize the increasing number of juvenile criminals and may even inhibit rehabilitation. The author stresses the importance of dealing with these criminals according to their age and to approach the issues that cause them to become involved in crime instead of simply punishing them.

From the Paper:

"As more and more adolescents are committing heinous crimes that were in the past restricted to adults, the society is demanding that these criminals be put behind bars and tried as adults---not as juveniles as they were in the past. The argument is, if the adolescents commit adult crimes then they must be prepared to be punished like adults as well. This is raising cause for a debate that is not as simple as it seems. In 1996, for every 100,000 teenagers, 465 were arrested for violent crime, compared with 318 arrests per 100,000 adults. And the Justice Department reports that if current trends continue, the number of juveniles arrested for violent crimes will more than double by the year 2010. But the question is whether the threat of adult courts and adult jails will deter the would-be youth criminal. (Rambler, 1997)."

More papers on Juveniles and Adult Incarceration:

• Essay # 28636 : "Juveniles in Adult Prisons"
• Argumentative Essay # 75523 : "Juveniles Tried in Adult Courts"
• Essay # 44036 : "Incarcerating Juveniles"

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