Article Writing Homework Help

Write 6 pages thesis on the topic treating juvenile criminals as adults. It is evidently clear from the discussion that many juvenile offenders come from broken homes or bad neighborhoods and many have been abused. They may need a second chance because many have not received even a first chance. In a few isolated cases this may be true, but by and large juvenile offenders should be treated as adults. They were willing to commit the crime, so they must be willing to do the time. The justice system fulfills an important symbolic function by establishing standards of conduct. It formally defines right and wrong for citizens and frees them from the responsibility of taking vengeance, thus preventing the escalation of feuds within communities. The system protects the rights of free citizens by honoring the principle that individual freedom should not be denied without good reason. Rehabilitation has as its objective the return of offenders to the community as cured and viable members of society. However, for the most part, the rehabilitation efforts of the 1980s and 1990s were to a large extent unsuccessful. No program appeared to be any more effective in changing criminals than any other program, so a sizable portion of the people released from prison continues to return. This has led many to conclude that the best and possibly only alternative is simply to remove offenders from the community, precluding any further vexation and exploitation by them. Since criminals are thought to be more likely to commit crimes than those never convicted of a criminal act, it follows that some benefits will be derived from incarcerating convicted criminals. Incapacitation has the greatest potential as a method of crime control if it is a few hardened criminals who commit most crimes. This is certainly true of juveniles too. Juveniles who commit crimes are clearly more likely to commit crimes than juveniles who do not.