Our criminal justice system tends to swing back and forth between being more punitive or rehabilitative in nature. During the 1990’s, the pendulum swung to a more punitive approach. We wanted to get “tough on crime,” and this has led to many problems within our criminal justice system, particularly for juvenile offenders. The film “Juvies” was only a glimpse at how our current system is failing today’s youth, not helping them. It’s appalling how kids-- human beings who are still developing and growing cognitively-- can be locked away for such lengthy periods of time for criminal acts. Incarceration can have many drastic effects on a juvenile, and is more harmful than it is helpful in the long run.
Even if a juvenile isn’t sent to prison for …show more content…
However, I think this film also exposes a larger societal issue. There was a quote that stood out to me in particular, although I didn’t catch which of the experts said it: “Violence coming out of young people has already been handed to them.” A common theme throughout the film was that many, if not all of the teens, had been abused. Physical abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse are some of the potential issues and abuses that juvenile delinquents face at …show more content…
Terrence Graham was convicted in Florida as having committed armed robbery. Graham already had burglary and attempted robbery charges on his record. The Florida state court convicted him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Graham appealed the decision, saying that this sentence was in violation of the Eighth Amendment in that it constituted cruel and unusual punishment. When the case went to the Supreme Court, they ruled that it was unconstitutional for a juvenile to be sentenced to life in prison without parole for a non-homicidal