17-year-olds are not 18-year-olds

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Austin American-Statesman

Category: Criminal Justice

Level: National

This article is concerning an issue that individuals/families face.

Why it is important:

                Trying 17-year-olds as adults is unfair when considering cognitive development. These are children that are being taken from their families based on (usually) minor crimes.  Considering rehabilitation rates for juveniles, treating these kids as adults because they are “almost” adults is stripping away their chances at making better lives for themselves while they still can.

My views:

                 The way my logic works, trying 17-year-olds as adults because they are almost adults could go in the opposite direction and try 18-year-olds as juveniles because they are almost juveniles. If we have made the age of adulthood 18, then that is the age of adulthood no matter what. I don’t agree with treating 17-year-olds like adults in the court system. They are not mentally prepared for adult like consequences and cannot possibly predict all the outcomes of their actions. Adolescents live in the now and participate in dangerous behavior on a regular basis simply because they are testing boundaries and are in a state of mind that makes them feel invincible. By locking them away in prison with other offending adults, they, as well as their families, are stripped of the chance to improve the life of that adolescent. Juveniles who are charged with crimes have a sealed record that will not follow them around and possibly prevent them from getting into college or getting jobs. Adults, on the other hand, have criminal records that are public record. Why are we handing out adult-sized criminal records to adolescents who should be starting their lives in colleges and careers? Getting these kids into college can greatly improve their lives and steer them away from delinquency. Like the article says, rehabilitating these kids in the juvenile system saves money in the long run as they are more likely to leave the delinquent lifestyle behind. With all the talk about the national debt, shouldn’t we all be on board with a plan that saves our country money, especially a plan that saves us money as well as improves the lives of our youth who are this country’s future? To me, it seems like a no-brainer. We should not be charging and sentencing adolescents as adults.