To the justice system that protects us:

As a student, part of the great American education system, I do not feel safe with loose teen murderers running amok in society. The debate has grown long and weary with deciding whether to judge these violent teens as adults where they will receive harsher sentencing, but fear not for I have a proposition. Treat these killers as you would adults. To me, this is the best course of action to maintain safety within the nation.

There are certain crimes such as theft and vandalism where punishments should be light. However, juveniles that commit murder should be treated as adults. My stance is that these teens should only be punished as adults when they truly have the intent to commit the crime and their deed was severe. I do not want to risk endangering the lives of other just for giving these teens a second chance. Moreover, I do wish to live in fear everyday knowing that there are killers on the loose. Only in cases of self-protection should these homicides be negated.

In Jennifer Bishop’s article Jennifer Bishop Jenkins On Punishment and Teen Killers, she talks about her experience with how a teen found joy in murdering her pregnant sister and discusses releasing these teens are dangerous to society as she states, "Many JLWOP offenders are repeat violent offenders and many have killed multiple people." Even if teens are released from prison, there is still the chance they will still commit crimes again and that they are torn in society’s side, so prison would be the best place for them.

Prison can be a bad influence to kids. Exposing teens them to an environment full of criminals can cause them to pick up bad habits instead of repenting on their actions, which in turn creates more criminals. Many fear the harsh conditions of prison for these kids, but prison isn’t as bad as it seems. There is education, food, and a place to sleep in prison. In fact, many homeless people even commit crimes just so they are able to go to prison to receive a lifestyle that they can’t afford on the streets. Prison would be the best case for these dreadful killers.

I will not shadow those who support the release of juvenile murderers. Adversaries to my proposition would be those who do not want to try kids as adults. I understand the stance they’re coming from as the fate of future teen murderers lay on this decision. Teens have a whole life ahead of them and it isn’t fair to take that away from them.

Some evidence they have to support this is that these teens aren’t competent enough yet to understand what they’re doing. Furthermore, the ages of these minor murderers should play a role in their sentencing. If these teens are sentenced for life, then they would have no future and many have sympathy for this fact, but should this sympathy be for all teens? Teenage Brains, by David Dobbs, goes into detail about how teens are in their developing stage and that their competence can be flawed at times causing them to make foolish decisions. For example, they are on a "hunt for sensation novelty," which could cloud their judgement. However, I have to disagree with them. Even if teens are not fully developed, they should still have common sense such as the ability to judge right from wrong.

There should be more focus on preventing causes which persuade criminals to cause crimes. Kids are likely to commit terrible crimes due to bad influences in their life. For example, it is said that most juveniles that cause crimes come from abusive families, so by focusing on issues like that, we may be able to drop crime rates. By preventing reasons for causing crime and even better educating teens on the horrible effects of crime, it can help to reduce crime. Some say that rehabilitation can be a solution to help juvenile criminals to turn over a new leaf and contribute to society, but research has shown that it hasn’t helped so much. In my opinion, rehabilitation should still be an option that is available for inmates as some truly desire to change and those are the ones that should be given the opportunity. Even if the effects aren’t relevant, a few results are still good.

Many fear to release juvenile murderers due to their potential as criminals as seen from the crime they have committed. For instance, some of these teens have shown violent and aggressive behavior in their murders. Some even have found enjoyment in their deeds. It’s teens like these should be given adult sentencing as many teens even after their sentencing are likely to commit recidivism. Therefore, I have come to believe that sentencing should reflect on the intent of the crime and the type of crime. Sure it may not seem morally right to sentence teens for a long time, but if it's a psychopath then please lock him away. If the teens have the intention of causing the crime and commits it in a brutal way then his sentence should be long. I feel that no matter that age, everybody should be judged the same way, but their intent in a crime should reflect their sentencing. For example, crimes of murder should be more severe than those of robbery or theft. Planning of the crime should also play a role in deciding the sentencing to see if it was a planned or impulsive crime. By punishing these criminals fairly will we be able to set an example that none is above the law and discourage crime.

Best regards,

Jirote Jiyacharoen