Should Juveniles Be Tried As Adults
In Kentucky, and in many other states as well, after the age of 18 you are considered an adult. This is the level of majority. If someone were to commit a crime at this age or older they would be tried as an adult. Children under the age of 18 cannot be sentenced to death or to life without possibility of parole. This is because children are physically incapable of making mature, responsible, well processed decisions. Opinions from one person to the next differ as there are several reasons concerning juveniles how they should be treated and tried in criminal cases (Southerland). The issue may be more of a debate as some people would say that kids do not have enough reasoning and lack common sense. Others, on the other hand, would say that juveniles have plenty of brains and common sense. There are strong reasons as to why juveniles should not be tried as adults and should not be eligible for life without parole.
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They are not adults, so they should not be tried as adults. Adolescent brain research shows that children do not have the same mental capacities as adults and the brain is still developing well into their 20s (Ryan). The final part of the brain to mature, the prefrontal cortex, is the part of the brain that works with reasoning and judgment. The changes that happen between 18 and 25 are a continuation of the process that starts around puberty, and 18 year olds are about halfway through that process (Candy). One of the side effects of these changes in the reward system is that adolescents and young adults become much more sensitive to peer pressure than they will be as adults. For instance, a teenager is more likely to do something risky when friends are watching rather than if they were
They are not adults, so they should not be tried as adults. Adolescent brain research shows that children do not have the same mental capacities as adults and the brain is still developing well into their 20s (Ryan). The final part of the brain to mature, the prefrontal cortex, is the part of the brain that works with reasoning and judgment. The changes that happen between 18 and 25 are a continuation of the process that starts around puberty, and 18 year olds are about halfway through that process (Candy). One of the side effects of these changes in the reward system is that adolescents and young adults become much more sensitive to peer pressure than they will be as adults. For instance, a teenager is more likely to do something risky when friends are watching rather than if they were