Juvenile Offenders Essays - Criminology, Childhood, Crime

Juvenile Offenders Juvinile Should Juveniles be waived to adult court Philosophy 14 Nov 98 Should juveniles be waived to adult court. There has been tension between teens (pre-teens) and adults for thousands of years, and the question how to deal with the youth of a culture, in a punishment sense, has been with us for just as long. Socrates, for example, stated that children show little respect for there elders. Since Socrates time largely due to the spread of guns and drugs, younger and younger children are committing violent crimes. Children that have special needs or have committed a criminal act have been subject to state protection since, 1838. The first juvenile court was established in Chicago in 1890. The assumption, that was made at that time, was that the criminal justice system should work to help youngsters, not to humiliate or punish them. Along with the creation of the juvenile justice system went the creation of status offenses, these are offenses that if committed by an adult, would not be consi dered an offense. In the 1950's and 60's many laws were passed to protect the rights of children, in a court of law. The major decisions of this time were: Kent v. United States, In re Gault, and In re Winship. Since the time that these laws were enacted, the number of juveniles committing violent offenses has risen dramatically. There are two distinct schools of thought in this argument: side A believes that a persons age should not prevent that person from feeling the full effect of the adult court system, while side B feels that you simply cannot apply the same rules to juvenile offenders that you do to adults. I will first present side A's case then B's and finally end with my own opinion. Many states have begun enacting new laws about the transfer of juveniles, that are more harsh on juveniles. Minnesota, for example, has a new law that states a 16 or 17 year old person that has been charged with a violent offense has to prove to court why they should be tried in the juvenile s ystem. In cases where the offender is younger than 16 the prosecutor must show why the juvenile should be waived. One of main issues of side A, is that if the offender is too old the sentence would not be severe enough for the crime that had been committed. Another issue is the overcrowding of the juvenile justice system. Many of the offenders in the juvenile system, if a few years older, would have already been sentenced to life sentences in an adult court. Side A does not believe that a persons age should be the lone determining factor for non-waiver. While side A does believe that there are a great many negative influences on today's youth, they believe that these circumstances do not dismiss that crimes that have been committed. The core belief that most of the side A advocates share is, the belief that the small percentage of the juveniles that are committing the serious crimes are past the point where a juvenile court could be of any help. Side A truly feels that by allowing s erious juvenile offenders to be waived to adult court, thus receiving a stiffer sentence, the community, as a hole, will be much better served. Side B believes, essentially, that no child (juvenile) should be waived. Side B sees several key factors for the rise in juvenile crime. These reasons are ones that are out of the control of the juvenile. The key factors are: (a) Unemployment among teens was 19 percent in 1993, up from 15.3 percent five years earlier, and for black youths the unemployment rates were twice that. (b) Since 1970, Aid to families with dependent children benefits have declined an average of 45 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars, according to the Children's Defense Fund. (c) In 1992, there were 14.6 million children living below the poverty line, the Children's Defense Fund says, about 5 million more than in 1973. (d) In 1993, there were 3 million victims of child abuse, according to the National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse- a rate 50 percent hi gher than in 1985.

Argumentative Essay Topics For Teenagers

Argumentative Essay Topics For TeenagersArgumentative essay topics for teenagers provide challenges that they can only learn by trying. The challenges in the essays are generally hard, but are generally not impossible. It's not that students are stuck with the topics; it's that they are trying to be clever when writing their essays and this is the only way they will learn the topic.Argumentative essay topics for teenagers should focus on things that they can't avoid. They should challenge themselves with difficult things and decide to go after them. The topics are typically about being open-minded, learning, and understanding different perspectives. The essays for teenagers should be the first step towards expanding one's mind and creating new ideas.Argumentative essay topics for teenagers are designed to show students that they are creative, independent thinkers. They should understand that there are many ways of thinking and that they are not always right. In addition, they should also realize that they don't always know everything. Argumentative essay topics for teenagers allow students to learn how to think critically and to analyze and find facts.College students are often a bit behind their peers in critical thinking skills. When writing essays for teenagers, it's important to use arguments that are based on research. Students should be able to use facts and figures from statistics, research, or other sources to support their points.A lot of adults tend to write essays about the best thing for someone to do. This isn't always the case for young people. Instead, they should present an argument about why something is wrong and what's good about it.When writing argumentative essay topics for teenagers, you should be careful not to be too negative. Showing that something is bad doesn't necessarily mean that it has to be bad. A good argument can still be an argument about how something is great.Argumentative essay topics for teenagers are also designed to show the importance of diversity. Teens need to learn that they are not all alike and they should be able to learn about other cultures. They should also be taught how to accept others for who they are.Writing essay topics for teenagers often requires the student to read a variety of material and take in as much information as possible. Therefore, they should read outside of their book if possible. Reading beyond the book is a great way to expand your mind and improve your ability to think.