Should Teens Be Tried As Adults | Teen Ink

Should Teens Be Tried As Adults MAG

By Anonymous

   Should teenagers be tried as adults? Opinions differ. Some people argue that teenagers don't know what they are doing when they commit a crime and are still too young to comprehend what is right and wrong. I totally disagree. I am old enough to know that committing a crime is wrong and that if I commit one, I will be punished. Anyone who says teens can't tell right from wrong is either too old to remember what being a teenager is like or they are a teenager who has committed a crime and don't want to be tried as an adult. In either case, they are wrong. All teens know that killing is wrong, yet they do it anyway and get away with a light sentence because of their age. Even if a teen didn't know it was wrong, it doesn't mean it's right. They should still be punished. If they aren't, they willthink that crimes are okay and continue to commit them.

Teens today don't fear the law because they don't think they will get caught. And if they do, they know they have a good chance of getting off because they are tried as teens and not adults. We have to get tougher on crime. There should be a law that everyone over eleven years old will be tried as adults. That way more teens would be discouraged from committing crimes. They would know that murder would get them a very long sentence instead of staying in juvenile hall until they are eighteen. If we want to cut down on teen crime, we have to have tougher laws. ?





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This article has 323 comments.


on May. 1 2010 at 7:50 pm
thoughtfulsoul PLATINUM, El Cajon, California
25 articles 0 photos 48 comments
I just wanted to clear up that in this article it said anyone over 11 should be tried as an adult.

on May. 1 2010 at 7:42 pm
thoughtfulsoul PLATINUM, El Cajon, California
25 articles 0 photos 48 comments
I like that you choose this topic to write about. I am divided on the issue, besause every situation is different so its hard to figure out if teens should or should not be tried as adults. I think this is a good article and you have a really strong voice in it. You made your opinion on the issue well known. good job :)

on May. 1 2010 at 3:39 pm
Alice_in_Wonderland GOLD, San Clemente, California
16 articles 0 photos 620 comments

Favorite Quote:
“I could give up, I could stay stuck, or I could move on, So I put one foot front of the other, No no no nothing’s gonna break my stride, “ –David Archuleta (The Other Side of Down)

I see what you are saying and I do agree that they should be harder on them but... even though a teen can have the capability to think like adults they aren't an adult yet and should still wait to go to jail at 18... it's confusing but a teen isn't a kid but isn't an adult either and might just be acting that way to try to be cool and won't when they're an adult...i don't know but they still shouldn't go to jail until 18.

on May. 1 2010 at 1:31 pm
yes i do agree with you as well and i dont think that 12 year olds should be sentenced to life but yeah i do see the point of what your trying to say

on May. 1 2010 at 3:15 am
lunar_moon BRONZE, Austin, Texas
4 articles 3 photos 39 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If you think you can you can, and if you think you can't, you're right." -Mary Kay Ash

We have that law as to give those guilty teens, whether disturbed or otherwise, a chance at redoing their lives. They aren't going to give a death sentence to a 12 year old. But I do see the point that you are trying to make.

on Apr. 27 2010 at 2:01 pm
sierra_nicole13 GOLD, Corpus Christi, Texas
15 articles 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
It may be hard now, but in the end everything will be perfect.

This is a very good point. But really? Being tried as an adult as eleven? I'm sorry but this is too young, some parents take their children and keep them so isolated their whole lives that when one day they are asked to do something they think is fine, is in fact only punushing an inocent child brought up the wrong way. Sure there are kids that are brought up in the worst conditions, and yes some do use this as an exuce to break the law.

To truth, I believe that once someone is 15 they should be tried as an adult in any judicial system. But if, lets say, a 11-year-old takes a car and drives into someone or thing, they shoud just be on probation and maybe serve a year in juvenille hall.


on Apr. 24 2010 at 7:40 pm

Off topic much?

First of all, Joehip, you couldn't have fought in Vietnam if ur 19.

CrackerJack, shall we not???


RawrDino:) said...
on Apr. 24 2010 at 7:36 pm
Chemical imbalance? Hormones? Really? I'm your average, ordinary teen and I have never killed anyone. Everyone deals with hormones and brain development until they are in their 30's.  Are you implying that everyone under the age of 30 shouldn't be viewed as an adult?

RawrDino:) said...
on Apr. 24 2010 at 7:28 pm

To all the people who believe that teens who commit violent crimes SHOULDN'T be convicted as adults, consider this...

You have an older sister at the age of 20.  A 16 year old boy rapes her and then murders her.  How would you feel? Wouldn't you want him to be adequately punished for his crime?  If this scenario doesn't work for you, then replace the sister with someone you really care about.


on Apr. 18 2010 at 8:59 pm
i think 11 is good...i mean come on even 8 year olds know that killing is wrong

All2gether said...
on Apr. 16 2010 at 7:07 am

It all boils down to a chemical imbalance.  It is a fact that teenagers are going through that change, some are affected differently and have no idea that this hormone embalance is the root to them not being able to control their actions.  I don't think they should be tried as adults because of this, not ever person is the same.  Granted we know killing is wrong, but what happens when a teenager is going through that hormonal change and has all this pressure coming from different directions but doesn't know how to talk to anyone-they become mentally unstable! 

I honestly think that an investigation should be done and some parents, not all, should be looked at and also punished if they are found to be negligent to their teenagers well-being.  See there are some teenagers who go to their parents but their parents brush it off or never has time to discuss it therefore not guiding their child in the right direction.  Those feelings of neglect turns into "No one cares", the frame of mind is totally changed because his/her parents didn't LISTEN!

Some teenagers going through this hormonal stage, react after things build up or during a situation and it could also be due to other chemical imbalances such as ADHD, Bipolar, etc... All of these things need to be considered before  trying every teen as an adult.  Again chemical imbalances such as bipolar or ADHD, can also be put on the parents had they done the normal routine check-ups!  Medication would have been given and the act of murder would have never occured!   


tank_nash said...
on Apr. 12 2010 at 11:20 am

DUDE ARE U CRAZY?????? 11 YEARS OLD???? COME ON NOW!! U REALLY SHOULD RETHINK ALL OF UR ESSAY!!! CUZ SCIENTIFICALLY NOT ALL TEENAGE BRAINS ARE DEVELOPED ALL THE WAY SO THINK ABOUT THAT ONE HOT STUFF

 


on Apr. 11 2010 at 12:05 pm
kaileeboo BRONZE, Ravenna, Ohio
2 articles 0 photos 16 comments

i think that teens shouldnt b tried as adults cas they can b on there record forever and as teens we do stupid things and that should not hold us against a job and many other things

 


on Mar. 18 2010 at 4:45 pm
Robkingett PLATINUM, Tallahassee, Florida
24 articles 0 photos 86 comments

Favorite Quote:
When I was little they called me a liar, but now I'm grown up, they call me a writer.

i agree with u completely. just a question, Your claims however are very weak. Did you ever take debate?

Joehip said...
on Mar. 18 2010 at 3:43 pm
I happen to be nineteen, I fought in Vietnam

CrackerJack said...
on Mar. 18 2010 at 3:43 pm
lulz this is ten ink old dud

Joehip said...
on Mar. 18 2010 at 3:42 pm
Well sir, you must realize that the people at the staffing office didn't ask me what I knew, but rather what I could learn. What i learned was rifle use, coordination of effort and a firm sense of patriotism and a strong value in leadership. Such things as proper English and grammatical structure didn't apply in a warzone.

CrackerJack said...
on Mar. 18 2010 at 3:40 pm
I doubt you are old enough to attend middle school, much less a war.

CrackerJack said...
on Mar. 18 2010 at 3:36 pm
I assume you are being facetious. However, your comments are not humorous, rather they make you appear uneducated. I would appreciate it if you either respond appropriately to my comments or cease with your badgering.

CrackerJack said...
on Mar. 18 2010 at 3:31 pm
You realize that it is your argument that cannot be taken seriously because of your poor spelling, grammar, and syntax? If you wish to engage in a civilized discussion please use proper English.