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Breanna Brown

Mrs. Di Soma

Period 2

7 March 2017

Juvenile Justice in our Country

Supreme Courts have been battling the issue of who, and what is a juvenile in todays

world for quite sometime. We have established that eighteen years old is an adult, but is the

mind fully developed enough for this to even be considered true? JUvenile's are brought into

court with fully planned out cases such as murder, and other horrible crimes These cases are

looked through with full evidence that this child new what he or she was planning on, and the

outcome was determined beforehand. In the case of Nathaniel Brazil the judged explained a

stupid mistake, but the prosecutors argued, that by bringing a gun to school he planned the

crime (Thompson). The court system has strongly agreed upon the fact that these young teens

have their own accountability (Thompson). In many cases although we do not look at

background, mental health, or environment in which the juvenile came. This is why I agree with

the two thousand twelve Supreme Court decision. Researchers have looked further into why

teens react a certain way, and what goes through their mind as they start to mature. They have

found that, the biggest surprise in recent brain research is the finding that a massive loss of

brain tissue occurs in the teen years (Thompson). As well as from california's Juvenile Justice

statistics found that courts run on a case to case basis which leaves room for judges to be biased

in some cases more than others. Some statistics show, that no matter age or ethnicity whether

convicted or acquitted most juvenile tried in adult courts are sent back into the juvenile court
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system to review their case, because they do not hold up in an adult level court (Harris). Once

again proving that cases are very biased, and very poorly reviewed at times, this is also why I

agree with the Supreme Court's decision.

Juvenile's in the eyes of the law are very different from those of society. You can not vote

until your eighteen, go into an R rated movie until seventeen, but yet we let teens as young as

sixteen drive cars out on the road with the potential to kill numerous amount of people. Teens

are either never trusted, or trusted just a little bit too much. This can also have an effect on the

juveniles mind on what is the right and rational decision in a situation. Taking all of this into

consideration, along with many more, if we have age limits and laws put into place for young

teens in everyday life why should we send those juvenile's to die in prison. From a very eye

opening video stated that, the U.S. Supreme Court looks at a child differently than an adult

(2:40). So how does the court system view these juvenille in the courts? Courts often create a

biast against the young criminal and take into account for his or her background in which

could've led them in the court in the first place. From an article stating that children that come

from abusive, negative homes, they do not have the choice to leave, because of this they are

more likely to fall into a path of crime later on (Garinger). Growing up around violence, neglect,

and crime have taken a toll on the youth of our country. One alarming statement is that seventy

percent of children serving life sentences they committed their crime with an adult (30:29). What

a juvenile is influenced by has a great impact their lives forever.

As explained in the Supreme court's decision that sending juveniles to prison for life

without the possibility of parole violates the eighth amendment. This is the perfect example of

cruel and unusual punishment. Juvenilles who have not even experinec a full eighteen years of
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their lives are sent to rot in a sell for the rest of their lives. A study has shown that, nationwide

seventy nine young adolescents have been sent to die in prison, a sentence not imposed on

children anywhere else in the world (Gringer). The country that stands for freedom has the

highest juvenile life sentences nationwide. Those who have committed horrible crimes such as

murder should not go unpunished, but they should not have to live with not hope for their future.

As stated before juveniles are different why? They have a different idea of rationalizing, and

perspective (20:18).Since this has been an idea to many sending them to prison for life would

give no incentive to look within themselves to improve. From personal experience people tend to

act on pure anger, or emotion, not always thinking of the best possible way to handle something

that could be very upsetting to them. Teens are overly emotional, and do not rationalize the best

acting out of spite or just jealously is what teenagers are known for. Even though teens react this

way many believe that research could help us get a better understanding of a teens erratic, and

impulsive behavior, that gives a clear idea that many teens do not have self control, or the

common sense to think ahead in a moment of pure emotion (Thompson).

Many cases have sentenced a juvenile to life, but have an opportunity for re-trial once

they turn eighteen. With the improvements while they served their sentences could be recorded

and looked at in the re-trial this could help a juvenile become someone they never saw growing

up, or when they committed their crime. Those juveniles who go through and complete programs

to better himself to go back in society have a chance on getting out with the possibility of parole

(Harris). The idea that someone can not change and mature with time, and experience is just flat

out abused. These self improving programs give those kids a chance at their life back. Even a

former judge who worked with juvenile his entire career stated I have seen first hand the
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enormous capacity of children to change and turn themselves around (Gringer). Proving that

many teeen improve and mature overtime developing life lessons and skills they can take with

them.

I strongly agree with the two thousand twelve Supreme Court decision. To look at a

single child and believe that they will stay the way they are for the rest of their lives is out right

insane. Not one juvenile is a lost cause there is always room for improvements and opportunity

to better themselves for their future. They do not need to be kept locked up for their entire lives

waiting, and hoping someone will have the heart to look at them one more time This SUpreme

Court ruling will give those kids the chance they have been waiting for.
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Children in Prison for life. Nationalgeographic.com

Youtube, May 23 2016. Web. 28 February 2017

Garinger, Gail. juveniles Don't Deserve Life Sentences.

New York Times. Expository Reading and Writing Course, 20112. Print. 93-94

Harris, Kamala. Juvenile JUstice in California.

Attorney General California Department of JUstice. Attorney General California

Department of Justice, 2015. Print. 104-107

Thompson, Paul. Startiling Finds on Teenage Brains.

Sacramento Bee. Expository Reading and Writing Course, 2001. Print. 89-90