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Child Criminals

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Submitted By drakesmom
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Child Criminals:
Is Punishment or Rehabilitation The Answer?
Lisa Perdew
Prof. H. Mathers
Ivy Tech Community College

With the growing number of crimes being committed by juveniles the question of whether punishment as adults or rehabilitation in a youth facility is the better option has never been more relevant. Some say that if a child commits a heinous crime, such as murder, they should be punished just as an adult would be. Others say child criminals are children first and criminals second and that they should receive counseling and rehabilitation in order to give them a chance at a normal adult life. Most states in this country do not have set laws concerning the prosecution and punishment of juveniles involved in serious criminal acts and thus the punishment is determined by the judge of each case. This can, and has, led to some juveniles being punished too severely and others getting entirely too light a punishment. The debate has come to the point of whether there should be a blanket law where in all juveniles guilty of terrible crimes are treated as adults no matter their age or if because of their age, under 18, they should all be treated as children no matter the severity of their crime. Social workers have long been at the forefront of this debate and have very strong opinions concerning these children. Most of them think rehabilitation, or even early intervention, is the better option for these children. Many of today’s child criminals come from homes without a father, some because their father was never in their lives, some because their father was a criminal also and is either incarcerated or deceased. Some authorities say that being raised in a single parent home leads to our youngsters being easier targets for less than desirable friends or even gangs. This cycle can lead to the next generation of

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