Juvenile Offenders in Virginia

Paper Summary:

The paper presents the outline of a research study that will examine public opinion regarding lowering the age at which juveniles can be tried as an adult in Virginia. The paper's research study intends to evaluate the opinions of expert researchers in the field, will survey the opinions of those who deal with juveniles who have committed serious offenses on a daily basis and will examine the impact of the decision on the prison system. The paper includes a literature review and outlines the proposed methodology to be utilized as well as the study's limitations.

Outline:
Problem Statement
The Research Question
Hypotheses
Theoretical Framework
Literature Review
Methodology
Limitations of Study

From the Paper:

"The question of trying juveniles as an adult, even when they have committed heinous crimes is a highly controversial practice that draws a plethora of public opinion on both sides of the issue. The primary research question of this study will be, "Should the age at when a juvenile can be tried as an adult be lowered from 16 to 14 years old in the state of Virginia?" The primary objective of the research will be to act as guidance for the Virginia legislature regarding whether they should adopt legislation lowering the age at which a juvenile can be tried as an adult, or whether it should remain the same as it is today."

Sample of Sources Used:

• American Bar Association. Adolescent Brain Development and Legal Culpability, Juvenile Justice Center. January 2004. available online at: http://www.abanet.org/crimjust/juvjus/Adolescence.pdf Accessed March 24, 2008.
• Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The rest of their lives: Life without parole for children offenders in the United States. 2005. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International: United States of America. available online at: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2005/us1005/ Accessed March 24, 2008.
• Bower, B. "Teen Brains On Trial: The Science Of Neural Development Tangles With The Juvenile Death Penalty," Science News Online, vol. 165, no. 19 (May 8, 2004), available online at: http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20040508/bob9.asp Accessed March 24, 2008.
• Deerin, M. "The Teen Brain Theory," Chicago Tribune, August 12, 2001, p. C1
• Grisso, T. "What We Know About Youth's Capacities," Youth on Trial: A Developmental Perspective on Juvenile Justice, Thomas Grisso and Robert G. Schwartz, eds. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), p. 267-69

More papers on Juvenile Offenders in Virginia:

• Persuasive Essay # 133404 : "Recidivism Risk: Juvenile Offenders in Adult Prisons"
• Persuasive Essay # 103948 : "Juvenile Offenders in Adult Prisons"
• Essay # 16831 : "Juvenile Offenders"

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