Juvenile Prisons And The Depression - 941 Words

There is a direct relationship between juveniles that are convicted and held in adult prisons and the depression it inflicts, creating a poisonous cycle of crime that they will be unable to escape from. After an increase of murders committed by juveniles during the early 1980s and throughout the 1990s, a quick adjustment was made by the supreme court and state courts to increase the abilities of the law to condemn violent juveniles with bleak futures into adult prisons to protect the children who had more optimistic chances. While the protection of the less violent children is important, however, there has been a great many studies that prove it is not the wisest way of seeing the situation at large. Juveniles in prisons designed for their age groups create a sense of value to them as human beings, are generally safer, and are more focused on rehabilitation into society as young adults. Sentencing a juvenile to an adult prison leads to feelings of worthlessness, depression, alienatio n and a fearful environment where they are unsafe and more likely to be encouraged to further their crime abilities to survive in an adult world. It is important to understand what the understood goals of punishment are. There are four goals of punishment. They are retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation. The first goal, retribution, deals with punishment as a proportionate response to crime. Breaking the law leads to the offender forfeiting something in return, but allowsShow MoreRelatedJuvenile in the Adult Prison1351 Words   |  6 PagesJuvenile Delinquency December 3, 2014 Juveniles in The Adult Prison Children as young as 14 years old have been tried as adults and are sentenced to die in prison without considering their age and the factors that led the individual to commit the offense. Society believes that a juvenile should be tried as an adult because it will help them understand the consequences of their actions, however, children and teenagers that commit crimes are too young and they don’t have the mental ability to understandRead MoreShould Juveniles be Tried in the Adult Criminal Justice System?624 Words   |  3 Pagesharsh sentence. Unfortunately, that’s the case for many juveniles, some as young as 13! A juvenile is subject to a more severe sentence with the limited sentencing available. It is estimated that 250,000 youth are prosecuted as adults, each year. This number should change, as juveniles are not adults, both mentally and physically. Juveniles need an environment surrounded with guiding adults, education and the resources to help them. A juve nile is not an adult, and should not be tried as one. TheRead MoreTypes Of Major Depressive Disorder1690 Words   |  7 PagesDepression in Inmates Major depressive disorder is a mood disorder that can be found among many Americans, reaching roughly three percent of adults and eleven percent of adolescents living in the United States. Other forms of less severe depression affect about ten percent of adult Americans. Women are more likely to be affected by this disorder than men, and women in their 30’s are also more likely to be affected than women of any other age group. In the criminal justice world, many adults who areRead MoreJuvenile Crimes Face Harsh Punishments899 Words   |  4 Pagesprosecutes juveniles. Although there is a juvenile court system in place to try youth offenders, the way it is being implemented is different between each state. In addition, some states even go further and try youth offenders, depending on the crime they committed, in an adult criminal court. In recent years, juvenile crimes face harsh punishments in the US, and the number of juvenile offenders sent to youth courts is decreasing, ba sed on the data (â€Å"The Sentencing Project – Juvenile Justice,† 2015)Read MoreJuvenile Justice And Delinquency Prevention Act Of 19741625 Words   |  7 PagesA juvenile or â€Å"youthful inmate† as defined by the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) is any person under the age of eighteen who is under adult-court supervision and incarcerated or detained in a prison or jail. While PREA defines a juvenile as under the age of eighteen the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (JJDPA) allows the states to set their own definition of a juvenile (Lahey). This discrepancy in the definition of a juvenile has caused problems and slow progressRead MoreSynthesis Essay- Juvenile Incarceration Into Adult Prisons1414 Words   |  6 PagesBoettcher 10/21/15 Pd.3 Synthesis Essay- Juvenile Incarceration into Adult Prisons Childhood is a time in which memories are created, adventures are explored and social awareness begins to develop. The events that occur during childhood are pivotal in the development of a healthy and substantial life. However, what if those experiences were taken from a child? What would the outcome be if a child could not experience what it is like to be young? Juvenile incarceration strips a person of their childhoodRead MoreJuvenile Courts and Juvenile Delinquency1176 Words   |  5 Pages How would you feel if the police arrested kids all over our country to jail for just crossing the street the wrong way or pushing another kid on the playground? That is what is happening to many underage juvenile all over the United States; they are being sent to adult prisons for crimes that do not deserve such severe punishments. Why they were tried as adults is an enigma and we will explain why this is a terrible injustice. In 1899 children in between the ages of 7-14 were believed they wereRead MoreThe Effects Of Solitary Confinement On Adolescents1243 Words   |  5 PagesThe Effects of Solitary Confinement in Adolescents Solitary confinement is a method of reform in prisons, which is mainly used when inmates defy the rules and regulations of the prison system. It is also used to protect juveniles from adult inmates and/or dangerous situations within the prison; however, solitary confinement can be viewed as cruel and unusual punishment. Prisoners can be in complete isolation in a cell that is approximately six feet by eight feet with little or no light; there isRead MoreJuvenile Justice Systems833 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Juvenile crime is a term around the world that is difficult to pinpoint and although there are several definitions many fail to be concrete. There are many factors that play into sentencing juveniles or minors upon a crime committed. How old are they? Can they mentally form criminal intent? Are they old enough to no longer be treated as children? Some people would argue that a criminal is just that, regardless of age. Research on the other hand shows that juveniles have underdevelopedRead MoreThe Effects Of Charging Juveniles Of Adults1689 Words   |  7 Pagesfelony murder and thus sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. Now why was this sentence so controversial? Because Lionel Tate was only twelve years old at the time of the murder. How do we determine mental competence of someone whose brain is still developing? How could someone who has not even finished puberty possibly understand the sever implications of such a brutal crime? How can we possibly try a juv enile as an adult when juveniles are proven to have diminished impulse control