Should Juvenile Criminals be tried as Adults?
I believe that “The essence of democracy is its assurance that every human being should so respect himself and should be so respected in his own personality that he should have opportunity equal to that of every other human being to show what he was meant to become” (Spencer 1). If an equal democracy is the answer, then would not the laws be the same for everybody? Why is it that simply age should determine the outcome and punishment of certain people? Why should it be a death sentence for any man to commit murder, but only be a simple year or two for a minor? It does not make any sense. Age is just a number. I believe that juvenile criminals should be tried as adults in the court of law.
Apparently Congress thinks that just because some juvenile causes a felony crime, they should be sentenced only to a couple of years and be released back onto the streets?! No!! That is almost insane. You would not do the same for any other person. What if a minor killed one of your family members? What would you do then? Send that deadly criminal back onto the street just so he can strike his next victim? It is not only unruly, but very dangerous too. We are letting mindless killers back on the street just to commit their second offence. It is only a matter of time before that cute, innocent child turns and goes for your throat.
Also, should not these kids know the simple boundaries between right and wrong? I mean some things may be complex but for the most case kids almost always know that killing someone is absolutely wrong. When I was very young, I knew the difference between right and wrong, and most of it is even hereditary. If you cannot do the time, don’t do the crime. It is as simple as that. Although there are many restrictions, there are some exceptions. For example, if someone is diagnosed with a mental illness, then why should you put them in prison? If you are an adult, you may plead insanity, but why not for children? We should not be locking up unstable mentally ill people and put them behind bars; they know not what they do. I propose that we should give them special treatment in certain homes and places. But for the most part, children I think should be tried as adults.
My last argument; The Lord does not look at age as a factor for your judgment into the kingdom of Heaven, but how righteous you are and your actions. The Lord looks at your deeds and your inner appearance, not at your outer appearance. A quote from I Samuel 16:7 states, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” It even shows in scripture to not look at outward appearances but to look at the real truth.
Many people believe that children should not be treated as adults. They claim that they are too immature to take responsibility for their own actions. They also claim that their brains are wired differently and don’t think out things like adults do. They all agree that children should not keep the right to take their own faults and should be released from detention only a few years after their crime. I do not agree. I believe that they do have the responsibility and the jurisdiction over their own actions and can obey the law without any acceptations just like the rest of us. They deserve all the time they can get for their crime.
Children should be treated as adults. They have the same rules and know the same stuff as we do. They should obey the law and go by the rules just as we do everyday. And we should not release them after only a couple of years, but teach them a lesson and keep America safe again. Don’t make our streets any worse, and stop these criminals from degrading America and help us live in a better society forever. Remember, if you cannot do the time, do not do the crime.