...In New York and North Carolina the age you are legally allowed to be executed is sixteen years old (Pros and Cons Part Two). Two states allow children sixteen and up to be sentenced to this, all other states have a eighteen limit (Pros and Cons Part Two). It should be legal to have the death penalty for juveniles, because dangerous criminal juveniles deserve the same punishment as adults. Juveniles are equal to a grow adult when they break these severe laws. Dangerous criminal minors deserve the same punishment as anyone else. Countries that support these executions include the United States, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen(History of the Death Penalty, Linn). Ninety Seven children have been executed since the year 1900 (HIstory of the Death Penalty, Linn). These children are dangerous people and we cannot trust them again in a public setting. The counties that allow this penalty see them as criminals , there is no age limit for committing crimes. Another reason for juvenile death penalty would include how they would live the rest of their lives out....
Words: 537 - Pages: 3
...more motivated to commit crimes while others don’t. Several factors such as home life, school life, and the neighborhood in which young adults live in can play an important feature in the lives of our youth today. There are also theories that present themselves as to why adolescents engage in risky behavior. Adolescents that live in a troubled home tend to be more disobedient than an adolescent who lives in a more structured family life. Children whose parents may be divorced have a greater chance of committing delinquent acts than a child who lives in a household with two parents. According to The Heritage Foundation (1995), "The relationship between parents, not just the relationship between mother and child, has a powerful effect on very young children. Children react to quarreling parents by disobeying, crying, hitting other children, and in general being much more antisocial than their peers”. Young adults living within the poverty line have more likely of a chance to not finish their education. Some young adults find the life of crime or delinquency to be more fulfilling than the priority of finishing their education. Living within poverty limits also has a greater impact on the health and wellbeing of young adults. Parents who can’t afford adequate housing or healthcare are more likely to have children who have poor health, which affects the long term development of their children. Adolescents living in deprived neighborhoods where crime is a daily occurrence...
Words: 544 - Pages: 3
...was created in the early 20th century when it was recognized that children and adults are different, and the rehabilitation process for them should be different as well. Until the late 19th century children and adults where tried alike in criminal courts. When a juvenile offender commits a crime it is the responsibility of the state to rehabilitate the juvenile offenders, as well as protect them. Youth crime rates have actually declined over the past twenty years, despite the public’s perception that it has increased. This has led to an overwhelming support that the juvenile court system be restructured to include tougher crime punishment, such as being able to try children as adults. This belief is that children are able to commit the same crimes as adults, and why should they be treated any different. Take for instance that if an adult commits a murder they will likely be in prison for the rest of their life, whereas a child or youth offender would likely be out by the time they are twenty one. Juvenile and criminal courts have many differences but the most outstanding is that juvenile courts tend to focus on the offender rather than the crime itself. Juvenile court is long believed to focus on the rehabilitation of the offender, as opposed to the focus of the crime as in criminal court. With rehabilitation in mind this gives the court much more leniency and flexibility, with options as far as punishment goes to the judge. The main concern in the public’s eye is the effectiveness...
Words: 1130 - Pages: 5
...What are the causes and effect of youth crime? Nowadays, the topic of youth crime had caught more attention all over the world, more specifically, it’s a growing concern due to the increasing social influence, such as offending, re-offending, hate and drug crime. What’s the reason for youth crime? What’s the exactly effect of youth crime? Is there any effective solution that can help young people decrease the crime rate? These are the three parts we will clarify in this essay. First of all, from my point of view, the reason caused youth crime is mainly connected with the family. Nowadays, due to the parents in most the families need to work for their economic reason, lack of time caused less communication between children and parents, children might be neglected and feeling cannot get support from the parents when they need, they don’t have enough life experience for the right justice, so that they are easy to lost themselves when they meet some problem in their life, so that they use their own way, which is easy to cause the crime, to solve the problem. Besides, the other factor is the increasing levels of poverty around the world. We have seen with globalization the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, and this inevitably means that those who are poorer will have to resort to illegal means to get what others have. Of course, this caused youth crime of the children from the poorer families. As the consequence, youth crime caused quite serious social effect, not...
Words: 497 - Pages: 2
...25 crimes. Interestingly enough murder was not one of them. The death penalty has been part of the American justice system since the very beginning of our country. Right after the end of the Revolutionary War each state created it own constitution. This was before the writing of the United State Constitution that centralized a national government. Every one of these early state governments included the death penalty as a punishment for certain crimes. The death penalty is a long standing method for crime prevention and deterrence. It is the responsibility of our government to protect it citizens from the threat of violent crime. The death penalty is a crucial part of that in both deterrence of those wishing to commit these crimes and ridding our country of those who have committed these horrible crimes against innocent people. Some people believe that in the past innocent people have been put to death. Modern criminal science and DNA testing effectively eliminate uncertainty as to a person's guilt or innocence. The death penalty is a key component of our justice system for upholding peace and for the protection of American citizens. Civilized society has relied on capital punishment as a means of deterrence for those who want to commit violent crimes resulting in the death of another person. The primary goal of the death penalty is deterrence. Deterrence means to punish somebody as an example and to create fear among those in the general public of that punishment. The...
Words: 1586 - Pages: 7
...Function of Punishment: * According to Durkheim the function of punishment is not to remove crime but to ‘heal the wounds done to collective sentiment’. * Without Punishment – collective sentiments would lose their force and strength * Crime and punishment are both inevitable and functional. Function of Punishment: * According to Durkheim the function of punishment is not to remove crime but to ‘heal the wounds done to collective sentiment’. * Without Punishment – collective sentiments would lose their force and strength * Crime and punishment are both inevitable and functional. Crime is Inevitable: * Durkheim argued that crime in an inevitable and normal aspect of social life. * Crime is present in all types of society; indeed the crime rate is higher in more advanced, industrialized countries. * It is inevitable because not every member of society can be equally committed to the collective sentiments (shared values and beliefs). Crime is Inevitable: * Durkheim argued that crime in an inevitable and normal aspect of social life. * Crime is present in all types of society; indeed the crime rate is higher in more advanced, industrialized countries. * It is inevitable because not every member of society can be equally committed to the collective sentiments (shared values and beliefs). Crime is Functional: * Durkheim argues that it only becomes dysfunctional when it is rate is unusually low or high. ...
Words: 7051 - Pages: 29
...Control theories make a little more sense to me. Reckless' containment theory says there are predispositions that make people commit crimes. He uses the terms pushes and pulls. Pushes can come from troubled psyches, or stressful circumstances outside the individual, whereas pulls can be from family, friends, etc. His point is however that these pushes and pulls are not evenly distributed between society. He recognizes these pushes and pulls but says there is more needed to completely explain. Not all youths in socially disorganized areas that are exposed to these pushes or pulls commit crimes. Hence the factor of control. He studied inner and outer containement. Inner involves a strong conscience, conventional beliefs, commitment to goals, etc. Outer containment is an array of forces that limit exposure to criminal pushes and pulls. I like this theory a lot. I think it's hard to test, because we're talking about a lot of inner questions like morals and goals. He recognizes the "pushes and pulls which can explain a lot of crime, but not all. Then he factors in these containment factors which push the theory further. I think it's very valid and important to study these types of factors, but at the same time I think it's hard to study it. All in all, I like this theory and I think it makes a lot of sense. Hirschi's a bit different with the social bond theory. He didn't attempt to explain why individuals engage in criminal acts, but rather why individuals choose to conform to conventional...
Words: 2228 - Pages: 9
...Final Final As we look at the juvenile justice system today, it is very different from what it once was. Juveniles today have more access to technology and other forms of electronic gadgets that have allowed them to become delinquents. Many more juveniles are committing the same type of crimes as before, but within gangs or with other juveniles. So instead of giving the juvenile some type of a “slap” on the wrist punishment that many have not learned from, the evidence has shown new ways of reinforcement approaches have worked. There are ways of dealing with young offenders that are more effective and less costly than prosecuting them as adults and imposing harsh sentences. With the "get tough" reforms from different states and legislation, many juveniles have spent a historic time in adult prisons. Now, widespread legislations are attempting to change the requirements for transferring young offenders from juvenile courts to adult criminal courts, where mandatory minimum sentences and other factors make incarceration more likely. Although many criminal juvenile courts dismiss and overlook the fact that these are juveniles, regardless of the crime committed, youth are not similar to adults in ways important to determining responsibility, such as having an under-developed ability to understand the consequences of their actions. Many juveniles are overlooked at the disabilities they may have, such as ADHD, slow learning abilities or other mental setbacks. ...
Words: 1865 - Pages: 8
...Opinion over Christopher Pittman’s Adult Trial Verdict Name Professor Institution Date Just to quote Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. words, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. Human beings are not entirely fit. Thus judges just like any other human being are bound to make mistakes in dispensing justice. However, Judges are obliged to be ever watchful and mindful in their endeavors of delivering justice. Every day, all over US judges dispense justice to convicted persons and defendants. However, absolute justice ideally is hardly realizable across board since its effectiveness demands human infallibility. Although it might be even harder to reap justice, justice is achievable and pursuit for justice remains a noble order. In this case, a 12 years old boy, Christopher Pittman from the state of South Carolina on February 15, 2005 shot his two grandparents using his father’s shotgun while they lay on their beds, he then set the house on fire, drove his grandparents truck and fled with cash and weapons in his possession. The petitioner, Pittman was only 12 years of age when he committed this malicious acts. He was charged with premeditated murder and put on an adult court for trial. Christopher Pittman’s defense team claimed that young Christopher Pittman remained an innocent child because he still could not differentiate what was right or wrong while under influence of Zoloft, an antidepressant. The defense urged the court to consider Pitman a child thus unable...
Words: 1829 - Pages: 8
...develop a firm sense of who they are and what they stand for. Role Diffusion occurs when youths spread themselves too thin, experience personal uncertainly, and place themselves at the mercy of leaders who promise to give them a sense of identity they cannot develop for themselves. At risk youths- young people who are extremely vulnerable to the negative consequences of school failure, substance abuse, and early sexuality. Juvenile delinquency- participation in illegal behavior by a minor who falls under a statutory age limit. Chronic juvenile offenders- youths who have been arrested four or more time during their minority and perpetuate a striking majority of serious criminal acts. This small group known as the chronic 6 percent is believed to engage in a significant portion of all delinquent behavior. Juvenile justice system- the segment of the justice system, including law enforcement officers, the courts, and correctional agencies, designed to treat youthful offenders. FBI- Federal Bureau of Investigation- is the arm of the U.S. Dept. of Justice that investigates violations of federal law, gathers crime statistics, runs a comprehensive crime laboratory, and helps train local law enforcement officers. UCR- Uniform Crime Reports- complied by the FBI, the UCR is the most widely used source of national crime and delinquency statistics Sampling- selecting a limited number of people for study as representative of a larger group Population- all people who share a particular...
Words: 1974 - Pages: 8
...Embezzlement a White Collar Crime As we are children we grow up to learn that stealing is an action that has consequences and should not be committed, as we grow older however we are exposed to a world in, which cheating and bribery as well as stealing is prevalent all around the world and has dire consequences for the individuals that are victims to this offense as well as the people who commit this treacherous act. In the real world the determining factors in a person getting convicted and punished all differ depending on the action and the amount of money that was stolen and the actions that were undertaken to embezzle the funds necessary to complete the crime. As time progressed, the punishment for what embezzlement entails has changed, this has coincided with the evolution of the legal system and the definition of embezzlement changing has well as the moral awareness increasing through our countries history. Embezzlement is a non-violent offense that is an economic crime and has been around since the 1800s and before the innovation of the term white collar crime. While embezzlement does not exhibit the violence of a crime such as assault or robbery the effects of the crime ripple through communities and impair the ability of individuals to trust entities and businesses with their hard earned money. Through examining the evolution of embezzlement and how it has evolved from the 1800s to the mid- 1900s and today is what will be examined in these next pages. By examining the...
Words: 1802 - Pages: 8
...Position 1 Justice System Position Brandon Stockie Axia College of University of Phoenix Justice System Position 2 From a very young age children are taught that they are responsible for their own actions. They are taught that if they make a mistake then they will get punished for their mistake, but the parents also teach the child how not to make that mistake again and that it were rehabilitation comes in. This is a lot of people have a discussion on how to raise a child. Is it better to just punish the child with force? Or to rehabilitate the child by teaching the child what he or she did wrong? I say both works when they are used together. In this paper I am going to explain where I stand on the juvenile justice system. I believe by having the juvenile justice system be more focused on punishment it will see a decrees in crime. As a child if you did something wrong and you parents sat you down and told you not to do it again, and nothing else happened would you do it again? Children like to push and push to see what they can get away with, but by punishing them you are setting boundaries. By having a stricter punishments on juveniles we can prevent crime. It the juveniles know what type of punishment they will receive from committing a crime then it might be a deterrent from committing that crime. This works in high schools around the country. Twenty years ago it was not that uncommon for a juvenile to have a pocket knife in his pocket even during school...
Words: 1540 - Pages: 7
...Children and Media Research Project Strayer University Children and Media Research Project Children are exposed to many bad influences daily, most parents would point to peer pressure, but that’s not the only thing that may contributing to negative behavior. Among the harmless cartoons and educational entertainment lies violent humor and use of weaponry for excitement. While many may argue that simple television shows or explicit song lyrics could never drive a minor to commit a crime or even murder, it has been linked to many violent cases involving children. According to Jalongo (2013), research on the human brain has shown that powerful images tend to stay in our memories and are easier for the brain to recall. Grand Theft Auto IV raked in $500 billion its first week on sale (USA Today, 2013). Grand Theft Auto is a series of video games in which the “fun” of the game is to kill, car-jack, and sleep with prostitutes while completing missions with story lines that involve drugs, violence, and gang activity. It has since been the object of controversy since the first game of series entitled Grand Theft Auto, released in 1997(Stout, 2013). One problem that exists in crime is the lack of known reported crimes due to inconsistent reporting. Many crimes go unreported due to fear of retribution from criminals and as well as concern of profiling past criminals and their creditably. Internal issues exist within the law enforcement, the consent question how...
Words: 1699 - Pages: 7
...example when a young person drinks to excessive and goes to the hospital .. the parents should pay. make a list of possible problems with children ... consider an age range, ... parental guidance and the limits ... and the consequences Abstract A “get tough” on juvenile crime perspective seems to dominate public opinion as school shooting incidents continue to occur across the nation and the media reports young children committing violent crimes. After virtually every incident, questions emerge about the juvenile's parents and what role they played (or should have played) in their child's life. Parental responsibility laws, varying greatly within and among the states, have appeared as one answer to these questions. Although these laws would seem to garner great public support under the new punitive attitude toward juveniles, no recent empirical studies have been conducted to determine if the public believes that parents should be held responsible and punished for their children's crimes. This dissertation organizes the different forms of parental responsibility laws into three separate categories. The first category is the civil liability imposed on parents when their children damage someone's property or inflict personal injury. The second category is the “contributing to the delinquency of a minor” statutes that apply to parents or other adults who encourage a juvenile in some way to break the law. The third category is the most broad because it encompasses the parental responsibility...
Words: 3193 - Pages: 13
...Declaration of Independence states that “all men are created equal.” The term “Hate Crime” defined by Public Law #103-322A, a 1994 federal law, defines a hate crime as: “a crime in which the defendant intentionally selects a victim, or in the case of a property crime, the property that is the object of the crime, because of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual orientation of any person.” Although this is the federal definition, each state has their own legal hate crime statues, which states what constitutes and is punishable as a hate crime in that state. Some states do not recognize hate crimes at all, yet, as it clearly states in the countries founding documents the people of this country are “one nation” and “all men are created equal.” The number of hate crimes being committed is growing in numbers. What is considered a “hate crime” today is no longer restricted to the issue of black and white, but the national standard for these crimes remains unclear. Some individuals feel that hate crime legislation or Hate Crime Laws are not only unconstitutional, but redundant and unnecessary. The writer of “Hate Crime Laws Are Unnecessary” argues that “hate crime laws, whether at the state or federal level, are not necessary” ("Hate Crime Laws Are Unnecessary"). The writer further argues that passing such laws will not prevent crimes motivated by...
Words: 2281 - Pages: 10