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.


David said...
on Jan. 6 2011 at 8:45 am
I just dont really think kids understand ever since i have been able to talk i have known not to kill someone or do bad stuff because ill get in trouble people trying to blame this on saying that are brains are not developed thats a lie its just an excuse to keep killers on the street its people like you that keep saying that they should be charged as adults if you commit a murder you commit a murder you think just going to juvi is going to help you i think putting you in a place where you will think about what you did what will be i have never commited a crime in my life and if anything to blame in this world blame the way the kids grow up not that our brains arnt developed Teens like doing bad stuff it gives them a rush and they think they are invinceble how do i know this because i am a teen

on Dec. 29 2010 at 6:13 pm
Phantom_Girl GOLD, Ft. Carson, Colorado
14 articles 0 photos 279 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If it comes out of the lion's mouth...it will be on the test."
-Mr. Bala

Thank you, AEAluvsanimals. I was beginning to think that I was the only one who noticed the (poor) quality of the actual piece.

on Dec. 29 2010 at 6:11 pm
Phantom_Girl GOLD, Ft. Carson, Colorado
14 articles 0 photos 279 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If it comes out of the lion's mouth...it will be on the test."
-Mr. Bala

Early twenties, actually. The pro-frontal cortex (decision making part of the brain) doesn't fully develop until you're around 21-22.

on Dec. 29 2010 at 6:09 pm
Phantom_Girl GOLD, Ft. Carson, Colorado
14 articles 0 photos 279 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If it comes out of the lion's mouth...it will be on the test."
-Mr. Bala

I'm not going to state my opinion on this topic. I just feel I have to say that this article is very poorly written and backed up with absolutely no evidence.

Seriously, smarten up your piece. I'd like to say this more tactfully, but I can think of no other way to put it at the present time.


on Dec. 29 2010 at 8:45 am
fairytalesaretrue, Jakarta, Other
0 articles 0 photos 4 comments
as a teenagers,i think we should trying to be "TEENS" you know what i meant. have fun guys,because until now i think that adult's life is so complicated. share your thoughts :D

on Dec. 22 2010 at 8:39 pm
If they can be tried as adults, they should be treated as adults in all aspects of life. If and adult does something to a 16 yr. old the 16 yr. old is concidered a minor, if the 16 yr. old does something to a adult he is concidered an adult. The prosecution wants it their way all the time. I've seen Judges lie right along side of the prosecutor, if they can take your rights they can and will as long as they get a conviction whether they get the right person or not. Don't trust government their liers.

George1 said...
on Dec. 17 2010 at 9:03 am
"HannahRosson" is most deffinatly right screw you "KENZIEFALLS"! :)

HannahRosson said...
on Dec. 15 2010 at 9:29 am
Ummm Deffinatly not...
Yes people can say kids will be kids or boy's will be boys or even their just children. But saying theie not mature... Ummmm No..
The argument that TEEN'S will not comprehend the gravity of the crime they've commited is an insult to the human mind... Your crazy if you dont thinkik they should be tried as adluts what if a 14 year old decided to kill your mom one afternoon just to do it... You wouldnt wish a life sentence on them...I would.. Just saying...

S.S. said...
on Dec. 14 2010 at 5:55 pm
TEENS SHOULD NOT BE TRIED AS ADULTS.

kenziefalls said...
on Dec. 13 2010 at 8:27 pm
i think its wrong to try kids as adults! they are not fully mature.

Metallixrose said...
on Dec. 7 2010 at 3:17 pm
I think eleve is waaay too young to be tried as an adult you're not even a teen then, which therefore makes the point of this article moot.  

on Dec. 7 2010 at 12:54 pm
This is such a debated question. Should teenagers be tried as adults? Well its depends, do our parents teach us that you should think about what you do before you do it? Did your parents teach you to keep yourslef inline? Well you can blame it on the parents but most kids just choose to not listen. Your parents may try to help you become a good person or they might not. But I think that teens should be treated as adults. Its there decision to murder, or do drugs. I myself know someone who does drugs. I know for a fact that his parents try there hardest to keep him inline but like I said, he chooses not to listen.  Its is very wrong to think that you can do whatever you want and just because you are young does not mean that your sentence should be lighter. We are still human beings still have the same minds. We all do what we choose to do. That is why I think that teens should be tried as adults.

C@ndyBe@r said...
on Dec. 1 2010 at 9:30 am
C@ndyBe@r, Lake View, South Carolina
0 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
Just be yourself.

yeah.and it is sad that some teens commit crimes.but sometimes its the enviroment they grew up in as a child,and still growing up in as a teen.unless their on the street:(

C@ndyBe@r said...
on Dec. 1 2010 at 9:29 am
C@ndyBe@r, Lake View, South Carolina
0 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
Just be yourself.

well it is proven that the brain of a person isn't fully developed till around age 18. so you have to look at the situation in which the teen did the crime. and what was their motive.

on Nov. 22 2010 at 3:50 pm
So your going to tell me that all these gang member teens that have killled another gang member should not be tried as an adult? If they are in a gang theres is no way out of it they are going to keep commiting the same crime over and over, and theres no stoping it if they keep getting out. So i disagree with what u.  It depends on how bad the crime is, because somethings just dont change....

rachelsmith said...
on Nov. 22 2010 at 3:13 pm

Wow. You're actually acting as if this is a game? How cruel is that? Nobody wins or loses in life. It's life or death.

I agree with notmental. That boy has an anger issue. He needs to be dealt with. He should be tried as an adult. And if he by chance (slim slim chance) had a mental problem he should be sent to a psych ward and dealt with there. But like I said, that's a very slim chance.


on Nov. 22 2010 at 11:52 am
VarsityCheerGirl916, I'm sorry that you lost your close friend. But I think your opinion is heavily biased. JaguaariLilly makes the best point. she wins.

ashely_306 said...
on Nov. 16 2010 at 12:39 pm
it's other crimes besides killing you know..

on Oct. 30 2010 at 2:48 pm
elusiveroyalty BRONZE, Ithaca, New York
3 articles 0 photos 4 comments

It's not that teenagers don't know right from wrong, it's that they don't have as many inhibitions as adults do.  The part in your brain that thinks rationally and tells you that something is wrong or stupid or dangerous isn't as developed in teenagers.  

Murder is an extreme example.  Yes, if anyone murders another person (on purpose that is) they should have a severe punishment, but what if you're a teenager, you find a credit card on the street, you try to use it and you get caught?  Should that ruin your future completely?  I don't think so. 


on Oct. 24 2010 at 7:35 pm
AEAluvsanimals SILVER, Yorba Linda, California
6 articles 0 photos 64 comments

Favorite Quote:
"All creatures bleed the same blood. He who spills the blood of any of god's creatures, he spills the blood of man." - Private Journals , Landerath
Dragon's Milk.
"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."- Dumbledore
Harry Potter 1

Its all relative. What about possession? (drugs) Or shoplifting? Do you guys think you know better than the people who organized the justice sysem? Besides, your comment doesn't really say anything about the writing, which is short and pretty choppy