Abstract

In today’s society juveniles are at the forefront of the majority of major crimes. While many individuals feel that it is necessary that we continuously give them chances at one point have they gone too far? Juveniles no longer seek the admiration of their parents or their positive peers they are looking for the respect that they do not want earn in a positive way. They are willing to take it. It is due to this fact that juveniles should be sentences in the same manner as adults and if the consequence of the crime committed is the death penalty then so be. If juveniles insist on acting like adults then the criminal justice system should surely treat them as such.

As the crime rate increases the age of the offenders have begun to decrease at an alarming rate. Juveniles are finding themselves at the front of most crimes that are now being committed. Many of these children are doing it on their own accord or as a means to have things that their families are unable to provide for them; whereas, other juveniles are doing this to gain favor in the sight of others who will provide for them security, loyalty, and fame amongst their peers. One would wonder what type of fame would be provided to a child for committing horrendous and heinous acts of violence, it is known to those children as “street credit “and in organizations where this type of behavior is not only tolerated but encouraged; it is called an initiation. Children, both male and females, join gangs for several reasons but one of the largest reason is because it is a fearful way to command the respect of others. In today’s society it is not uncommon or unheard of to find out that behind several of the crimes being committed lays a juvenile. For some odd reason juveniles have attempted to take over the crime era and depending on the crime they can get off with a minimum sentence. It would seem that juveniles would be more fearful about doing things but they are not. It is understood that they would have to commit a horrific crime in order to be charged as an adult and often times they keep it within that scope of reasoning. One would then wonder how old does a child have to be in order to be classified as a juvenile. That answer is between the ages of 8 and 17. It may seem that an 8 year old is still an innocent child that plays with their toys but in certain neighborhoods and societies there are 8 year olds that are initiated into gangs as a means of protection for them but as a crash dummy for older gang members. It may be a bit confusing about why juveniles are considered to be crash dummies in gangs and if they know it then why do they join. However it is all about proving themselves therefore whatever older gang members want them to do, ranging from different crimes, then they are willing to do it because they are under the age of 18, often times they are under the age of 17 as well, and they are aware that they will be sentenced to “juvie” or the juvenile detention center. It is this reason why young men and women are introduced to gang life early on. They are able to follow the orders within receiving the maximum amount of sentencing an adult will. Many of the children whom I encounter on my day to day journey at work are aware of the fact that because they are children they will, at most, be sentenced to a juvenile detention center and after they reach a certain age their records can be sealed. This information alone shows that children are smarter than we give them credit for. I once read an article that said something similar to the fact that children should not be held accountable for their actions because their brains are not as developed as adults. This is something I find to be outlandish merely because juveniles are smart. I feel that if the child or group of children have the sense enough to plot burglaries, assaults, and murders and find escape routes which can allow them a temporary escape from the police then