Should children who commit adult crimes be tried as adults?

Student’s Name: Tutor’s Name: Course Code: Due Date: SHOULD CHILDREN WHO COMMIT ADULT CRIME BE TRIED AS ADULTS? This has been a very controversial question throughout the years since there are many arguments for and against the issue with each side defending their stand strongly. In my own opinion I think that children who are under the age of 18 years should not be tried as adults when they commit a heinous crime. They should instead only be tried in juvenile courts which only aim to rehabilitate them until a certain period unlike in adult courts where they receive severe sentences like death penalties. My arguments Am strongly against the trying of children as adults for their crimes because I do not think that these children are mature enough to understand the magnitude of what they are doing. Children who are under the age of 18 years are not of sound mind to know that some of the things that they are doing are illegal and can get them into trouble with the law. That is why in many countries all over the world juveniles only get their identity cards when they attain the age of 18 and this supports my argument. Some of these children are only following directions given to them by older members of the society including their parents and guardians to commit crimes like stealing. As a result these children believe that they are doing nothing wrong since the directions came from adults who they trust. Some children are just ignorant of their illegal actions while others are lured into crimes by others (peer pressure). There have been cases where 8-15 year-olds are tried as adults and are later given a guilty verdict which can carry a term of 30years to life imprisonment. Some of them may even receive a death sentence. These children lose most of their childhood in jail while they could have been productive to the society given the right push. In fact instead of being reformed, they become more violent during their time in prison (Byhchs1259 7). When they are finally out in the society they return to crime since that is only what they know. Given the history of our judicial system, justice may not always be fair since there are many cases of innocent people being given the guilty verdict. One cannot compare a grown up’s mind with that of a 14 or 15 year old thus I strongly believe that they should be tried at juvenile courts which is more lenient. Jeb Bush, a U.S governor, argued that there is a different standard for children and there should be more sensitivity that a 14 year old is not a little adult. This was after a 14-year old was found guilty of second degree murder for killing his English teacher (Reaves 9). Drugs and alcohol also play a major part in children committing adult crimes. Under the influence of stimulants, children may end up on the wrong side of the law since the drugs influence them into committing rape, murder, stealing and many more crimes. In some states trying of children as adults does not yield any fruit as the rate of juvenile crimes is still in the rise. Bishop (81) argues that deterrence for juveniles does not work since they are more prone to emotional behaviour and are much less likely to think through all their actions thus even if penalties are harsher, they have no significant impact. Juveniles going through adolescence are emotional due to the changes they experience thus do not think straight. When a child is tried as an adult, he is viewed as a felon and this goes permanently into his or her record. This will in the future harm his job prospects. With no job, the only alternative will be to return back to crime. In addition it will be impossible to find a quality job. A felony conviction and a sentence to probation will significantly harm a child’s job prospects with the effects lasting as much as a decade later. Recently there has been a report in the media that an 8-year old boy has been charged with the premeditated double murder of his father and another man. The boy who is a third grader may be charged as an adult for the crime. Reports also indicate that the father taught the son how to use guns to shoot prairie dogs (O’Neill 3). This 8 year old is too ...