Daniel Solis

SOLIS

Connie S. Douglas
ENG 112-78
December 1, 14

Juvenile Offenders
Certain crimes should send criminals straight to life without a parole, or even to
death row in very serious cases. This is the case regarding some juvenile offenders and
being a teenager is a tough stage in life. Teenagers are always learning, and they frequently learn through bad experiences. Some of these juvenile offenders have a terrible
life, which is sometimes the reason why they are committing crimes without knowing the
consequences of their actions. The majority of the underage criminals are growing up in
the poor side of the city or with troubled families, where the only lesson they learn is
how to be explosive, aggressive, and violent; these youth grow up with no education, no
love, and no values.
What are the consequences of putting juveniles in the adult criminal justice system? Unfortunately, prisons in the adult justice system do not have the tools to rehabilitate teenagers. Instead of healing them inside an adult jail, the only thing these young
offenders will learn is either how to be more of a criminal or commit suicide caused by
the violence suffered while incarcerated from the guards and prisoners. There should be
a punishment for every crime, but the age of the accused must be a consideration. If a
teenager is guilty for a very violent crime; such as, murder or rape, its completely understandable that they would get sentenced according to their crimes; such as, life without

parole

or

even

death

row;

but

sending

them

to

an

adult

jail

SOLIS2
while still under age, is like sending a baby deer to into a cage full of lions. The lions will
either eat him, or adopt him and turn him into one of them.
The Campaign for Youth Justice (CFYJ), addresses its support to end the incarceration of youth under the age of eighteen in the adult criminal justice system. The
CFYJ mentions that the adult criminal justice system does not provide the adequate
tools adolescents need to prepare them for a normal life outside prison, In fact, placing
juveniles in adult jails increases the likelihood that they will later be re-arrested for more
serious crimes. (Campaign For Youth Justice.) Prison does not provide educational
training, so the juvenile offenders does not know any other choice but to result back to
crime after they are released.
There are many reasons as to why juveniles should not be placed in adult prisons. Some jailers recognize the risks for youth in adult jails, which is why they separate
youth from adult inmates. It is not always like this, due to the fact that sometimes the
guards are the ones abusing the adolescents physically and mentally. The prisoners are
not always the ones causing physical and emotional harm to the youth. Unfortunately,
the separated youth from the adult offenders are often placed in isolation, and could be
locked down for hours. Isolation is not a safe setting for a juvenile offender because this
environment can cause anxiety or paranoia, which may highly increase the risk of suicide. According to the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in 2005
and 2006 twenty-one percent and thirteen percent respectively, of the victims of inmates-on-inmates sexual violence in jail were youth under the age of eighteen (Campaign For Youth Justice.) As a matter of fact, youth have the highest suicide rates of all

SOLIS3
inmates in an adult jail because the staff in an adult jail are not prepared to protect the
youth from adult offenders or guards.
Jails do not have the ability to provide education and other crucial programs for
the healthy development of adolescents. A BJS survey found that forty percent of jails
provide no education services at all, only eleven percent of jails provided special education services, and only seven percent provided vocational training (Campaign For
Youth Justice.) Without the adequate education and services, adult jails will not do any
good for the youth, but to create more criminals and take them off the right course.
The National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) states that programs designed to
decrease the number of youth in prison have in fact, cut costs and increased public
safety. Placing juveniles in juvenile facilities or adult jails requires a lot of money and is
not always the best option for the youth. Reducing the number of youth in these facilities
permit the states to save large amounts of money that could be re-directed to help place
juveniles in special programs that fit their needs. California saved over $525 million between 2007 and 2010 by cutting the number of incarcerated youth (National Juvenile
Justice Network.) Reducing numbers of incarcerations will let the budget grow and with
that money the state could drastically improve public safety.
The NJJN claims that removing a child from their family should be the last resort;
unless, the family is the reason for his actions. While the offenders take programs for an
adequate education and services that will prepare him or her for his or her future, being
with his or her family is almost always the best environment for him or her to grow in, or
in an appropriate organization where the offender can feel safe and loved. NJJN is

SOLIS4
looking to re-direct the budget into more effective community-based services for juvenile
offenders where they can see better rehabilitation and public safety results.
By following these community-based programs, States can achieve the best results for budget, public safety, and the healthy rehabilitation for youth as they downsize
juvenile facility population (National Juvenile Justice Network.) These communitybased programs could be a great opportunity for every state involved to elaborate more
effective programs for the youth and public safety, as well as budget friendly for the
communities. The adult criminal justice system is not designed for juvenile offenders,
which is why there is big need for the application of these programs, which are appropriately equipped for this kind of youth. As states search for ways to plug fiscal holes,
they should consider the economic and social benefits of incarceration only as last resort and for the shortest time possible (National Juvenile Justice Network.) The less
time youth spend in jail, the more time he or she may be with his or her family and love
ones while rehabilitating.
Judge Michael Corriero and some psychologists and brain researchers offer another position. Old enough to do the crime; old enough to do the time. Is a famous
phrase used by politicians and prosecutors in the 80s and 90s during an explosion of
juvenile violent crimes. This article examines the reason as to why the youth should not
be sent to an adult prison, and the how it would affect them if they do.
Judge Michael Corriero believes that the perfect system between juvenile and
criminal courts would be the one with a common goal which is: the rehabilitation of
youth to become responsible, productive, law-abiding citizens (National Juvenile Justice Network.) The method of punishment should be more flexible, and depending on

SOLIS5
the crime, the juvenile offender should be accommodated to see if he or she has the
capacity to change his or her behavior. The secret is not choosing punishment versus
prevention, but using both (National Juvenile Justice Network.) Finding a balance between punishment and prevention would influence the youth to have a better rehabilitation.
It is proven by psychologists and brain researchers that violent behavior can be
overcome; all violent teenagers do not necessarily become violent adults. People can
learn from their own mistakes, and youth are easily influenced by others; if juvenile offenders receive at least some education, job training, and therapeutic treatment he or
she will learn and change for the good and will increase this or her opportunities to have
a better life in the future.
In conclusion, every voice has his or her opinion and ideas to see and improve
the punishment against juvenile offenders. Setting them free is never a good option because they have to pay for their mistakes and learn from them in order to understand
their consequences. The criminal juvenile justice system needs to improve their methods and their programs. Starting with not sending under aged offenders to adult jails;
because the risk for youth in an adult jail have being sexually, physically or emotionally
abused are very high. As well as placing youth in isolation because of the mental disorders this causes increasing the precariousness of suicide.
The three viewpoints have something in common, and that is justice; the three of
them want a fair trial for juvenile offenders, and they agree that sending youth into an
adult jail does nothing good for them. It is not only about making better programs to improve the probability of success on the rehabilitation for juvenile offenders, but it is

SOLIS6
also about making a better states by creating more citizens with better academic preparation, better moral values, and better opportunities in life. With a more effective community-based service for youth the results in terms of juvenile rehabilitation will be that
of higher quality, and the state will have a higher standards for public safety. As George
W. Bush once said, America is the land of second chance, and when the gates of prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life. (Christine Watkins.)

SOLIS7
Works Cited
Campaign for Youth Justice (CFYJ). "Placing Juveniles in the Adult Criminal Justice System Is Counterproductive." Juvenile Crime. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Detroit:
Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Jailing Juveniles: The Dangers of Incarcerating Youth in Adult Jails in America.

National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN). "Efforts to Reduce Juvenile Incarceration Have Led to Positive Outcomes." Juvenile Crime. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Detroit:
Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Bringing Youth Home: A National Movement to Increase Public Safety, Rehabilitate Youth and Save Money." Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.

"Preface to 'How Can Society Deal with Teenage Crime and Violence?'." Teens
at Risk. Ed. Christine Watkins. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.