It cannot be denied that there is a severe lack of uniformity in the U.S. justice system. From concern for the disparities between the incarceration rates of different ethnic groups to the analysis of which crimes demand harsher punishments than deserved, calls for reform have been resounding from all sides of the spectrum. This can be expected, since the question of what is truly “just” can only be determined through a majority opinion.
Not only does this make justice rely on such an ambiguous interpretation, but it also brings no promise that any decision will reach the approval of all, as opinions are subject to constant fluctuation and variation from person to person. As Abe Lincoln once said, “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”
This implicates the idea of creating uniformity throughout law enforcement, for any level of uniformity that is reached is only a precarious balance of what is needed at the time. Although this makes law enforcement a difficult and permanently flawed process, it doesn’t prevent us from trying to reach the best solution, but in fact, it calls us to regularly revise the system as needed, making it a responsibility and concern for all.
Trying minors in the adult court allows the possibility of juveniles having to serve life sentences without parole. Juveniles should not have the fate of the rest of their life determined by how they conducted themselves when they were young. In a country founded on principles such as the right to life, it is understandable that crimes such as murder require harsher sentences, yet the immensity of a life sentence without the opportunity of parole should never be dealt to a minor. The act of murder is immoral due to the respect and consideration we’re supposed to hold for human life, yet in condemning another humanーone who has not had the chance to fully grasp their own mortality and responsibility to othersーand prohibiting them from being a part society again, we are destroying their ability to live out their life and contradicting the principles our country stands for.
There is a vast difference between punishment and reform, yet as of late, both seem to work interchangeably in current law enforcement. Assigning punishment for a crime suggests that giving an individual negative consequences will act as both reparation for a wrong as well as a deterrent from committing similar crimes in the future. The antithesis of this is reform and rehabilitation, which is the righting of a wrong through positive reinforcement that aims to improve the offender rather than penalize. Imprisonment would be considered a punishment as well as a preventative measure, since it prevents those who disrupt societal norms and rules from causing disarray while also taking away their freedom and liberties.
Lengthy prison sentences do have a place in the justice system, but not in that of juvenile justice. There is much development that happens in our early years, so to hold individuals who are completely aware of the consequences of their actions on the same playing field as those who are still learning and lack the experiences and understanding that comes with age is not a system of justice. There are certainly some individuals who prove to be incapable of change and therefore deserving of punishment in the end, but to deem someone as a lost cause before they’ve been given the chance to reach their full potential provides no benefit.
Rehabilitation of juveniles gives our disturbed youth the chance to gain full understanding of their situation and the opportunity to become a productive member of society. After they have been given all the tools they need to make a change, the choice is then up to them if they wish to be responsive or not. If, even after reform efforts, a juvenile shows no change entering into adulthood, they have then made an informed decision to refuse help and can be held to a higher standard of accountability and considered for lengthy imprisonment.
A juvenile’s mentality towards violence can be a large indicator of if they are suitable for society after reform efforts. Senseless violence versus violence to gain some sort of reward or due to out of control emotions exhibit very different toxic mentalities. While a beneficial motive or emotional turmoil behind a violent action does not excuse the act of violence, it at least provides a train of thought that can be understood and backed with logic, regardless of how warped an individual’s priorities may be. Senseless violence, on the other hand, is done for the sole purpose of harming another being, and the focus of the intent has no personal benefit other than a sense of accomplishment or enjoyment from the act alone. The former requires a restructuring of the individual’s priorities and help controlling their own personal desires, while the latter is much more dangerous and concerning, as it shows a sense of emotional detachment that would have to be overcome. Juveniles that committed a crime due to senseless violence do deserve a chance at rehabilitation just as much as those that invoke violence for personal benefit. However, if they do not exhibit any improvement in their mental status on the matter at the end of rehabilitation efforts, they would not be granted parole but would be transferred to an appropriate adult prison.
After a minor went through rehabilitation efforts, proof of remorse would be another indicator of a change of heart. Although something as weighty and irreversible as the taking of a life is definitely not the preferred method of learning, acknowledging that what they did was wrong and showing an emotional response to their actions displays a level of understanding that may not have been present at the time that they committed the crime. There is always much emphasis on the wisdom that comes with learning from one’s mistakes, and to turn a horrendous crime into a learning experience would bring a level of good out of the situation, a benefit that imprisonment could not accomplish.
If the shock a juvenile experiences when truly coming to terms with their personal involvement in a crime brings them to the heart of the atrocity and provokes remorse, it speaks to the fact that there was a level of understanding that they could not grasp at their young age. One cannot fault them for the inability to comprehend a concept that was out of their reach. In the case that rehabilitation and time were unable to stimulate an understanding of the moral principles we are upheld to, it is difficult to believe that any further rehabilitation would be able to significantly alter that individual’s moral compass and would prevent that juvenile from being paroled when they reached adulthood.
The mind of a criminal is not a pleasant one. Not all criminals are mentally unstable; some have full knowledge and understanding of their actions, yet choose to follow through with them anyways. Yet this does not invalidate the fact that in order to commit a crime deserving of a lengthy sentence, one would have to have some disconnect with reality, mortality, or emotional stability. This is an unhealthy mindset that one would not want to keep for the rest of their life.
Juveniles are at an age that is known for being impressionable, and with that comes the ability to adapt. Since these youth haven’t had the time to fully cement habits and mentalities into their lives with permanence, this age is crucial in shaping them into who they will become in their adulthood. Placing a minor in an adult prison, where they are left with only themselfーwith their already broken, twisted mindーand others that are similar to them is to place them in an environment that gives them no hope of redemption. If we are genuinely a country rooted in the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, we would not stand idle and let children regress, knowing full well we could at least attempt to save them from the disconnected reality they live in. With rehabilitation and reform of the law enforcement system, many juveniles could be saved from a life behind bars. Why place a seed among rock and ruin when it could live, bloom, and thrive under proper care?