The Magic Number
For many years, the age at which teenage lawbreakers should be convicted as adults has been heavily debated. If the age limit was lowered, jail systems would see more juveniles tried as adults. Some believe that teenagers are capable of being responsible for their actions and should be tried as adults for the crimes they commit. Others believe that criminal sentencing should follow every other social standard and keep the age eighteen. Depending on the crime, the age limit for convicting teenagers as adults should remain eighteen.
Majority of the time, crimes committed by juveniles are low-level crimes. These crimes might consist of stealing something, getting in a fight, or traffic violations. Some teenagers do not realize the consequences they face when they commit these crimes. However, these are minor infractions. Teenagers are young, immature and tend to make mistakes.This isn’t something they should be punished for permanently. There are many things to take into consideration when convicting juveniles. Childhood abuse and psychological issues are some of these circumstances. These aren’t the case for everyone and shouldn’t be used leniently.
Of course something has to be done; however, putting teenagers in the court system for minor crimes isn’t going to correct the behavior. There are many options and precautions that can be taken to ensure a juvenile doesn’t end up back in the system. This includes things like counseling, probation, and possibly fining. Some teenagers go through the unthinkable causing them to act out. Counseling would be the prime opportunity for these teenagers to talk about their life and their mistakes. If the juvenile is persistently in the system or commits a more serious crime, extra measures should be taken.
Giving second chances is a fantastic opportunity for teenagers to learn from their mistakes. However, when a juvenile commits a heinous crime the proper actions need to be taken. Convicting juveniles has proven to be difficult because of laws and social morals. However, convicting juveniles for their crimes gives the victims the justice they deserve. Sentencing teenagers has proven to be difficult for everyone involved in the case. The victim deserves justice, but the life of a teenager is at stake.
The article, “In Some Situations, Teens Should be Tried as Adults” by Heather Newton and S. M. Goldmark, states,“Given that there is nothing magic about turning eighteen, some older juveniles should be held fully accountable for their crimes and tried as adults.” They forget the science behind the age limit for convicting juveniles. Making this a sharpshooter fallacy because they ignore supporting information in fear that it will refute their position. Age does matter. Studies show that our brains aren’t fully developed until around the age of twenty-five. The development of our brain affects the way we make decisions. Fully developed brains use the prefrontal cortex which responds to situations rationally. Teenagers use the amygdale part of the brain which causes people to use their emotions to make their decisions.
Our justice system has always done their best to give victims the justice they deserve and effectively punish the criminals. This effectiveness becomes difficult when it involves juveniles. There are a surplus of circumstances that have to be taken into consideration when convicting juveniles. There is nothing magic about turning eighteen; however, science shows that the magic happens around 25 years old, when the brain is fully developed.
