Persuasive OutlineSituationIt seems to have been established by America that children to not have the mental capacity to make rational decisions. It is for this reason that we do not allow them to watch R rated movies. That we don’t allow to them to purchase alcohol or tobacco.
Why we don’t let them get their drivers licenses until they’re 16. It can be agreed that children are not mature enough to understand the concept of cause and effect.ProblemThat is, until they commit a crime. As soon as someone under the age of 18 violates the law, it seems completely rational to treat them as adults.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, some juvenile cases get transferred to adult criminal court through a process called a “waiver” – Usually 16 and up, but states are lowering the age. Some states try juveniles of ANY age to be tried as adults.
How can we limit the privileges of children because they’re too young, but then treat them as adults when they commit a crime? This is an act of hypocrisy. Even when a teenager gets their driver’s license, there are still restrictions until they turn 18. According to the California DMV website, in the state of California, Shows that in America even a licensed driver is not responsible enough to even have their friends in the car. Another example of the fine lineAccording to The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, someone who is 18 may not engage in sexual activities with an individual, who is under 18, This So if we don’t trust them with small responsibilities, how can we don’t say “oh no he’s just a kid” in the one situation when it could help him My point is that based on the laws and regulations regarding those under 18, America has established that juveniles are not mentally capable to make rational decisions.
What’s worse is that when a juvenile is tried as an adult, the jurors usually receive no instructions regarding the defendant’s age.SolutionTo solve this problem, there should be a more broad line that separates whether a juvenile can legally be tried as an adult. Juveniles should not be tried as adults unless they commit a specified level of crime.Argue for Solution1st degree murder, according to the University of Pennsylvania Law Review is in short terms “murder that was planned or premeditated”.
2nd degree murderA lot of juvenile offenders live in very dangerous environments that call for questionable actions. Instead, they should be given help.But for most cases, we should focus more on helping troubled youth rather than sending them to prison for the rest of their lives.Work Cited:Keedey, Edwin.
“A Problem of First Degree Murder.”University of Pennsylvania Law. University of Pennsylvania Law, 21 10 1994. Web.
1 Nov 2013. .”California Department of Motorized Vehicles.” CA-DMV.
N.p., n.d.
Web. 1 Nov 2013. .Katz, Lily.
“Journal of Criminology and Criminal Law.” 103.3 (2013): n. page.
Print. .
