Vanna Nguyen

Ms Moore

Exp Reading/Writing

28 Feb 2017

Juveniles Should be Punished

There are many teenagers who commit crimes at a young age and if they are aware of

what they are doing, they should fully take action on what they did. The Supreme Court ruling

argues the juvenile who commit murder should not be sent to prison because it violates the 8th

Amendment. As young as they are, most teenagers really dont know what they are doing

Although juvenile are teenagers, they should still be held accountable for committing crimes and

breaking the law, but they shouldnt be tried as adult be sent to life without parole.

Generally, all teens come from a different background and childhood. Due to their

environmental status and factors, they grow up according to what they learn and have be taught.

Not everyone is alike and some may suffer from mental abuse and hardships. We have to take

that into consideration and think of why they committed the crime. Are they mentally abused?

Are they being bullied? For example, in a documentary, there was two boys named Nathan and

Erik and one of them, Nathan, killed his mother after being sexually assaulted and abused by his

father for quite awhile (When Kids Get Life, PBS). After they both got sent to prison with life

without parole, they was no rehab for Nathan to look forward to when no one else understood

what he going through at the time. Erik, who was there at the crime, was arrested for destroying

evidence and helping his friend Nathan hid whatever needed to hid. Even though they should be
sent away for their wrong doings or at least be punished, the main goal is for them to enter

rehabilitation and better themselves. They needed to learn from their mistakes.

Most teen brains dont develop until 25 and young people are biologically different from

adults, (Garinger), therefore they probably are too young to really know what they are doing

and what is even going on. As a judge for many years, she has observed teens and reveals that

teens have the same malleability that makes them vulnerable to peer pressure also makes them

promising candidates for rehabilitation, (Garinger). Through experience, she has come to

understand that teens are capable of learning though their mistakes and should be given a second

chance in rehab. Children or young teens are not adults and they dont merely act like one so

sending them away in prison where they may never get an education and a way to redeem

themselves is not a really beneficial. For instance, Lionel Tate, who was 12 when he killed a

6-year-old girl, was mimicking a wrestling move he saw on television is pretty much serving a

life sentence in prison without parole. He served 3 years in an adult prison and was later released

after 10 years probation. (Goodnough, Abby). This says that even though their actions are at

fault, they should still be given a chance to redeem themselves.

There will be many people who think that this wouldnt be fair and that even if teens are

young, they should still get the same punishment as adults. Most children in this day and age are

learning rapidly, becoming intelligent, and even maturing faster. Some even mature faster than

others. The main factor is that the parents are the ones who are not teaching them things properly

and that is why they lack the mindset to do what is right. They are also most really good when it

comes to peer pressure and they cant adequately handle emotions and understand their actions.
Therefore, since they dont have the same mentally as adults, it would not be justice for them to

be tried as an adult and suffer through cruel and unusual punishment.

In all, adults and teens are different and adult prison for juvenile is not acceptable.

Although they should still be held accountable for their actions, they should al least be taken into

rehab and learn from their mistakes and be sent out into the world once they are done.