March 16, 2014
Juveniles in Adult Prisons, Is this Morally Right?
My view point is no! Juveniles should not be tried as adults they are still physically growing and mentally maturing during their teen years. The transition from childhood to adulthood is often very difficult for some teens. Hormones, peer pressure and family environment play a big role. Juveniles should go to school, receive therapy and serve their time in a juvenile facility among those who have committed similar crimes. Housing juveniles with adults puts them in danger of being molested by adults and beaten by people that are twice their size.
I believe one reason why is it wrong to try juveniles as adults is because of their lack of development and immaturity as a teen. I don’t believe that teens deserve such a harsh punishment to serve time in a prison along side adults. However, I do believe they should be held responsible for their actions. They should serve their time in a maximum security juvenile facility for serious crimes away from lesser juvenile offenders and separated from adults. Some states in the US place these serious teen offenders with adults because they have no where else to put them and they end up in general population with devious, manipulative adult prisoners.
Juveniles will not be ready to handle experiencing inmates getting attacked or inmates attacking them. They will be scared knowing that they need to stick up for themselves everyday since every inmate is on their own. All theses horrible things will have an impact on these juveniles and it will overwhelm them and ruin their mental state. In Marjie Lundstrom’s article, “Kids are Kids-Until They Commit Crimes,” she explains that “Research suggests that adolescents squeezed through the adult system are more likely to come out as violent career criminals than similar kids handled on the juvenile side” (22). This is one example of the harsh reality of a future inmate being released into our society....