A Crime is a Crime
Brenda Small
Danny Meadows
English 215 Research and Writing
February 5, 2015

At age eighteen every female and male American citizen is considered an adult. Our Juvenile Justice System should revisit punishment for juveniles who commit violent crimes that are punished differently than their adult criminal counter parts. People this age have the right to vote, the right to buy tobacco products, and also the right to live apart, and separately from his, or her parents. A matter of one or two years decides if a person is tried is an adult or a juvenile in this country. Murderers, rapists, and other criminals are being released from jail every day after serving only very short sentences. Who are these criminals and what makes them so special? The criminals are juveniles who commit adult crimes (http://www.teenink.com/opinion/social_issues_civics/article/162031/Teens-Should-Absolutely-Be-Tried-as-Adults-When-They-Commit-Adult-Crimes/). Is it fair for one person, just seventeen years of age, to be tried in a juvenile court, receiving a lesser sentence for the same crime committed by a person that’s eighteen years of age or even twenty years old? Do they have the same understandings about the crimes they commit? I think they do, the law states that a person that is sixteen have the right to drive a motor vehicle. They also have the right to work on a full time job. Juveniles that are sixteen and older have the right to quit school in some states in America. Juveniles under the age of eighteen are fully capable of being held responsible for their actions as adults. Juveniles commit brutal crimes just like adults do, and therefore no one should be exempt from equal punishment for all. A crime is a crime and for that reason Juveniles who commit violent crimes should be tried in the same way as their adult counterparts. Violent crimes are defined as murder, rape, armed robbery, aggravated assault, and larceny-theft. Community watch programs as well as other safety organizations often fear the youth in certain communities. So many people are concerned about the increase in violent crimes in our communities; the place to begin the change and make corrections that would not spill over until a person reaches a certain age is with our youth. Minors who commit violent crimes should be tried as adults, and punished as adults. This would discourage youths from committing such crimes and the crime rate would decrease. Minors are being tried every day in juvenile courts; they are receiving shortened sentences than adult offenders who commit the same type of crimes. The courts and juvenile rights advocates believe that second chances should be given to youths who commit crimes; criminals are walking the streets, living as our neighbors, and in many instances committing additional crimes along the way. They are being released and given new identities to continue to live their lives in peaceful and happy bliss, all while their victims and their families are left to suffer forever. Male juvenile offenders that committed violent crimes in 2011 committed 423. per 1000,000 juveniles (http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/stats_at-a_glance/vca_temp-trends.html). We as citizens have seen some decline in violent crimes that juveniles commit. I process this to be because of the change in laws that have already taken place, such as most states now permit minors to be tried as adults for violent crimes and all states have a procedure for transferring juveniles to the adult criminal system. This law is maintained for each states own laws. There is no consistency to which juveniles get transferred and for what crime which may explain why certain cities and areas are having more difficulty and crimes than others. Some of the more profound problems stem from children raising themselves. Often parents have to work longer hours to provide a living for their families. This