Jansa

Nick Jansa
Period. 6
Mr. Cloninger
English II
February 11, 2016

Commit the Crime, Do the Time?

May 7, 2001: 14-year-old Nathaniel Brazill was convicted of second degree murder for
killing his favorite English teacher. This charge usually carries a punishment of life
imprisonment as an adult crime, but Brazill received 28 years plus 7 years of house arrest and
probation. This is just but one example of how teens committing adult crimes are only sentenced
for a portion of what the crime committed deserves. When a child kills, does he instantly
become an adult? Or does he maintain some trappings of childhood, despite the gravity of his
actions? (Reaves) Teens should be held accountable and tried as an adult if serious crimes have
been committed. By minimizing the criminal act due to age and allowing the offender to be tried
as a juvenile, the lessened impact of the punishment allows the young adult the option of being a
repeat offender.
When teens commit, or are involved in serious crimes, those offenders should be tried as
an adult to give the crime the importance it deserves. Juvenile offenders are criminals who
happen to be young, not children who happen to be criminals. (Khan). No matter the age of the
criminal, a serious crime has still been committed and therefore the teen or young adult
committing the offense should be held directly accountable for their actions. Juveniles tried as
adults solidifies the perspective that a crime is a crime and age should not be a determining
factor when imposing punishment. Teens should have an established sense of right vs. wrong and

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therefore are responsible for the choices that they make. The emphasis of rehabilitation in the
juvenile system has not altogether shown the desired effects and many juvenile offenders will
commit additional crimes either as teens or as adults.
Harsh sentencing acts as a deterrent to kids who are considering committing crimes.
Trying children as adults has corresponded with lower rates of juvenile crimes. Light sentences
don't teach kids the lesson they need to learn.(Reaves) Todays teenagers have become much
more sophisticated at a younger age through video games and social media; they fully understand
the implications of violence and using violent weapons. It is absurd to argue that a modern
child, who sees the effect of violence around him in the news every day, doesn't understand what
killing really is. The fact that child killers know how to load and shoot a gun is an indicator that
they understand exactly what they're doing. (Reaves) By not owning up to their actions or being
coddled by society, teens think it is perfectly ok to get away with serious crimes and continue to
travel down the same path of destructive and life-changing behavior.
While it is important to emphasize that these young criminals are to make amends to
victims and to their communities, this shouldnt allow for lenient punishments for the serious
crimes that are committed. Even though these teenagers could be considered as juveniles, those
committing serious crimes must be held responsible for their actions and punished as adults.