Mitchell Shinnick
Mrs.Zurkowski
English 9 greens
21 September 2012
Juvenile Delinquency
People are speculating that teens are not getting the punishment they
deserve because of their age. Kids are
getting off the hook because of their age. Some of them would get stuck with
bad judges and they would get off the hook. Kids were starting to break the law
more than adults were. Only a few criminals were on death row because of
earlier crimes as they were kids. Kids are now starting to break the law more
and more because they are starting to get into the wrong crowds. I believe that
kids should get punished by the crime not their age.
Today kids are breaking the law more and more because of technology.
As kids are more connected now through technology, they are more likely to
break the law. The percentage of kids who bring a gun to school is 18%. They
are getting access to things they are not allowed to have. People are saying
that the crime punishment should be off of the severity of the crime not their
age.
When they first held the court in Chicago they weren’t aware
of the kids’ actions. Only 1% of cases go to adult court. Juvenile courts are
for kids under the age of 17, but the court deals with all kinds neglect.
"In 1899, when the first proceeding of a juvenile court convened in
Chicago, it is unlikely that those in the courtroom were aware of the momentous
impact of their actions." (Justice Department).
One reason that I’m right is “But supporters of the juvenile
court system's approach argue that sentences should be determined by the
severity of the crime, not the age of the offender.” (ProQuest Staff). One
reason that people disagree with this topic is that they don’t want their kids
to get corrupted at such a young age. People who agree and disagree both have
very good reasons.
Juveniles are more likely to break the law after they broke
it the first time. 29% of kids break the law for the first time. 72% of them
will not have criminal records. Kids who served a year in prison are 100%
likely to break the law again. Kids from 14 to 17 are confined in adult prison.
Most time sentences kids have to serve are 4 to 10 years, but not so many
juveniles served over 40 years. But in texas they only focus on 30 of the most
intense crimes. “More than 16 states of the 35 for which information was
available hold certified youth in juvenile facilities rather than in adult
prisons until at least age 18. Six states hold them until age 21 or longer. And
a significant number of states have policies either mandating or allowing
certified youth to be held in local juvenile detention facilities rather than
adult jails while they are awaiting trial” (Michele Deitch)
The crimes are
caused because the kids have nothing to do after school. Most of the crimes are
caused after school around 3 to 6. If the justice system keeps the kids busy
during that time the percentage will go down dramatically. They could push for
after school activities or have school at a later time.
A solution
might be that when they do get caught they should have a fair trial, not one
where the judge is undecided on what he or she should do. People are
complaining about this topic but they are now working together to fix this
topic. They could also make the punishment more severe so they won’t think of
breaking the law again.
Citations
ProQuest Staff. "At Issue: Juvenile
Delinquency." ProQuest LLC. 2012: n.pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 11
Sep 2012.
Sources:
Pryor, Douglas W. "Juvenile Delinquency." Grolier Multimedia
Encyclopedia. Grolier Online, 2012. Web. 14 Sept. 2012.
Sources:
"Juvenile Justice." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag.
Issues & Controversies. Facts On
File News Services, 31 Mar. 2002. Web. 13 Sept. 2012
Sources: "juvenile
delinquency." The Oxford Companion to Canadian History. Ed. Gerald
Hallowell. 2004. History Study Center.
Web. 13 Sept. 2012 Snyder, Howard N., and Melissa
Sickmund. "Juvenile Justice: A Century of Change." Juvenile Justice
Bulletin. Dec. 1999: 1-20. SIRS Government Reporter. Web. 14 Sep 2012 .
Michele Deitch (2011). Juveniles in the Adult Criminal
Justice System in Texas,
Austin, TX: The University of Texas at Austin, LBJ School of
Public Affairs
