Rhenz Santos Period 1 11/1613 Juvenile Justice Essay

Juvenile and teenager, two words with the same winning but different view. People look at juveniles as the bad teenagers. With the age ranged from as young as seven to sixteen, these juveniles committed serious crimes. With a growing number of juveniles being tried and sentenced as adults for serious crimes; the question rises Why did they do it? What are their motives? and before this question can be answered another reveals itself, does age matter to the jury when they are put on trial? According to Paul Thompson, author of Starling Finds on Teenage Brains, age does matter. Thompson stated that what really caught our eye was a massive loss of brain tissues that occurs in the teenage years. He and his team found that the cell that were lost during the teenage year are connected to the brain that control impulses, risk taking, and self- control. Even though that research doesnt prove that the brain are to be blamed, it still explained the erratic behavior that caused juveniles to commit certain crimes. Thousand of juveniles are tried as adults in the United States may be incompetent to stand trial because they are emotionally unable to contribute to their own defense, according to juvenile study to be related today.: This statement was discussed in the article Many Kids Called Unfit for Adult trial by Greg Krikorian. This statement explains how many kids arent ready to be tried as adults. The study also shows that age and intelligence were the most significant factors in determining a youths abil ity to understand the judicial process. This is based on a research study, and it explains that age does matter. The research also showed that the performance in reasoning and understanding for youth ages sixteen and seventeen did not differ from those at eighteen years of age. The age should be changed in which a juvenile could be tried as adult. The question still remains as a mystery. Why did they commit these crimes? Thompson believes it is because the large loss of brain tissues in the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe helps us to regulate our emotions and control our actions. During the teenage year, many kids will just say they made a stupid mistake such as what Brazil said. Many of these kids are still developing and unsure of their actions. Juvenile justice is a worldwide problem. According to Tragedy of Pakistans prison children, by Ver Frankl, throughout Pakistan, thousands of children are locked inside

police cells or overcrowded jails, victims of a justice system that treats the very young much the same as adults. Young adults in Pakistan are beaten up behind the bars, handcuffed in chain, and faces other cruelty. Also, kids as young as seven can spend years behind bars - before the courts have even decided if they are innocent or guilty. The court system has to change! Even if theyre innocent, they still have to spend time behind the bar without having a legal court trial. According to Hina Jilani, a human rights lawyer and activist, They are not taken seriously because children have no voice. What do you expect? Theyre children, of course most of them might not have them money to get a lawyer. Every day, tens of thousands of children around the world wake up behind bars. Many of them will have committed no offence. BBC investigates children's rights in justice systems around the world These just proves that juvenile justice is a serious matter and we have to fix it as soon as possible! Age really does matter when it comes to trial. Kids, teenager, and adults are different. Kids and teenager shouldnt be tried as adult for many reasons. They are too young, their brain are not fully developed. Lastly, theyre not capable to defend themselves in an adult trial. They would end up saying they made a stupid mistake: and the jury will eventually sentence them with life in prison or life sentence with parole.

Work Cited: Krikorian, Greg. Many Kids Called Unfit for Adult Trial. The Sacramento Bee. March 3,2003. Thompson, Paul. Startling Finds on Teenage Brains. The Sacramento Bee. May 25,2001. Frankl, Vera. Tragedy on Pakistans prison children. BBC News. Monday, 6 November 2006. <Online> Na. Call that Justice. BBC News. Monday, 6 November 2006. <Online>