Juveniles could be treated as adults and be tried
by James R. WriterIn most countries worldwide,
children below the legal age are often exempted from punishment or are given
less severe penalties such as community service when found guilty of a crime. The
logic behind doing so is that they are still young and naïve and cannot
differentiate between right and wrong. But this is not necessarily the best situation
to show empathy towards the children, especially if the crime committed by the
child is profound. Juveniles should be tried for the crimes they commit
depending upon the severity of the crime and the child's age.
The reason behind not trying
juveniles for crimes is that children until the age of 18 are under the care of
their parents or guardians, who are responsible for making the decisions on
behalf of the child. It is only after the children turn 18 years of age that
they can legally make decisions independently and become responsible for their
actions. However, in a fast-paced world such as ours, the children are maturing
quicker than in earlier times. Having the means to get information quickly,
even about matters that would usually be considered difficult or inappropriate
for youngsters, has made the scenario much different. In the eyes of the law,
treating a juvenile as an adult and trying them can affect their prospects, as
they can get labeled as criminals. And so, the constitution does not treat
juveniles as adults and usually tries to rehabilitate them.
However, doing so gives the
impression that since they are not held accountable, they can get away with
anything, including criminal activities. No one should be allowed to take the
rules or the constitution for granted, which is why juveniles must be treated
as adults and tried for their crimes.
Given that children are maturing
and becoming more conscious of their surroundings earlier, it is reasonable to
assume that they will have formed their beliefs and values by the time they
reach adolescence. As a result, long before reaching the legal adult age, they
are very aware of their decisions and can be held responsible. Exceptions in
this scenario can only be made if the children suffer from mental disorders or
are intellectually challenged.
There have to be some rules that
govern when it is appropriate to treat juveniles as adults or not. We cannot
indiscriminately treat all juveniles as adults and hand strict punishments to
them even for petty crimes. As mentioned earlier, juveniles should only be
tries like adults when the severity of the crime committed is severe and the children
consciously take the actions.
For instance, if a child still in
his/her formative years steals something, we would scold them instead of
treating them as criminals because there is the realization that he/she is
confused between what is right and wrong. If an adolescent commits the same act
of stealing (soon to be an adult), they would be given a simple punishment like
paying a fine or community service. And yet, if an adult committed the
stealing, they would have to pay a fine or get imprisoned. In this case, the
juveniles are not treated as adults because the nature of the crime is not severe.
Although an adolescent commits a serious crime like a murder or a high-scale
robbery, they should be treated the same as adults and handed the strictest
possible punishment. If an adolescent is aware of what is morally right and
wrong in society and yet chooses to commit a crime, they should be kept
accountable.
Although the provision of not
holding juveniles responsible for their crimes is placed in their interest,
they take advantage of this law and continue to commit serious offenses because
they realize that they cannot be held responsible. And this is why juveniles
must be treated as adults and be tried if they commit serious crimes.
Byjus courses offer many good
habits building exercises. Children are taught about various crimes and they
got to know the difference between good and bad. Byjus help them to understand
the various circumstances that Crimes can lead to, this will help juveniles take
better decisions in their lives by not committing crimes.
Sponsor Ads
Created on Jun 13th 2021 23:22. Viewed 173 times.