Ask Me Help Desk - Adult Crime

Adult Crime

Hello:

I know that you've been convinced that children who commit "adult" crimes should be tried as an adult. I've never quite understood that.

I've always wondered what YOU thought was an adult crime, as opposed to a juvenile crime. I can't think of any. In fact, it doesn't make any sense. Frankly, I think the term was made up by mean spirited people.

So, the question I have is if you can try a child as an adult for committing adult crimes, why shouldn't you be able to try an adult in juvenile court for committing children’s crimes?

excon

Quote:

Originally Posted by excon

Hello:

I know that you've been convinced that children who commit "adult" crimes should be tried as an adult. I've never quite understood that.

I've always wondered what YOU thought was an adult crime, as opposed to a juvenile crime. I can't think of any. In fact, it doesn't make any sense. Frankly, I think the term was made up by mean spirited people.

So, the question I have is if you can try a child as an adult for committing adult crimes, why shouldn't you be able to try an adult in juvenile court for committing children’s crimes?

excon

I think it has more to do with level of reasoning not the nature of the crime. Most crimes classified between juvenile and adult are not different only the age at which it was committed and the severity. Remember the "reasoning" and 'impulse control" center in the brain is not even developed until sometimes 25.

Hypothetically the only way to try an adult as a juvenile is to prove their functioning (reasoning) at a juvenile. At that point, they would become "incompetent" to stand trial anyway and the case would be held or dismissed.

I've wondered about this too. It seems strange to try a child as an adult because we think his crime was "adult" but we (in society) don't recognize him as an adult by giving him adult rights. It also seems odd to me that if you commit a crime two weeks before you are 18, you are a juvenile and didn't know what you were doing, but boy, two weeks later and you were an adult and should have known better!

I guess it's hard when you have a child who commits a crime which requires planning and obvious malice. If a 16 year old boy lures a 14 year old girl into the woods where he proceeds to rape, torture and kill her, well, that's sort of beyond the normal reasoning skills you would expect out of a kid that age. Beyond that, if a crime such as the hypothetical one I described occurs, the general public wants justice, dammit!

So it is the public who wants "justice" and we think the only way to get "justice" is treating the kid like an adult? Or is it the fact that the crime committed is so horrible we can't conceive a child would do such a thing? We expect kids to break windows out of buildings, or spray paint a fence, but murder? Not our precious children!!

I've always wondered what happens to a kid who is tried as an adult and convicted; does he go to adult prison right away, or does he serve time in a juvenile facility until he turns 18 and then get transferred?

Hello again, jillian:

Sorry. Nope, if he's an "adult" he goes to an adult prison. Then, of course, he's ruined forever.

excon

Quote:

Originally Posted by excon

Hello again, jillian:

Sorry. Nope, if he's an "adult" he goes to an adult prison. Then, of course, he's ruined forever.

excon

I was afraid of that. Honestly, what hope for rehabilitation does a kid have if you throw him in jail with actual adults? A 15 year old doesn't belong in an adult facility, I don't care what he did. I can only image the horrible things that happen to a kid when placed in that environment...

excon: we should raise the age in juvenile court but we have things backwards. 18 to vote and defend the country but 21 to drink and sometimes 16 or 15 to be tried as an adult

What we need is more systems in place to prevent or identify that 16 that Jill portrayed. There are plenty of punitive measures but no where near enough preventative measures. (another soap box of mine)

In that case, what about people with developmental diabilities whose chronological age and mental age will never match? Someone could be 25 according to the birth certificate and not have mentally matured past 10. Yet there are those who commit "crimes" and some are in prison. Where is their justice?

It is a screwed up system, to put it mildly.

Good Question...

The answer is: The whole system is broken!

It's all a question of accountability and holding people responsible for their actions. If someone, regardless of age, has the gumption and presence of mind to commit a violent crime such as murder or aggravated assault, then they should be dealt with accordingly. We should not apply a double standard just because of someone's age. If a 14-year-old, without just cause, deliberately kills someone, should they really be treated differently than if a 44-year-old commits the same crime under similar circumstances? I say no, although I'm sure lots of people would vehemently disagree with me.

children who commit "adult" crimes should be tried as an adult