Ragano 1

Angelina Ragano
Professor Sotirakopulas
English 1102
13 May 2016
Juveniles Living with their Punishments
Fifteen year old Adrian lured his 8-year-old neighbor to his familys apartment
last July, then he raped and killed her, according to police(Lyons). With so many similar
acts of crimes like this, strong controversy remains on whether or not teenagers should be
tried as adults for murder. In this paper the age of the juveniles will consist of teenagers
aged 12-17. Crimes like this are happening all across the country, and with varying
situations, it is often difficult to make a decision on if teenagers should be tried as adults.
While some may view their sentences to life in prison unjust, these are suitable measures
to be taken because of the level of crime these juveniles have committed. There should be
no question on the punishment they receive because ultimately, murder is murder. If the
United States set a zero tolerance policy on juvenile murder, than it will effectively lower
the rate of murder by showing teenagers that they will not get let off easy due to their age
and the common belief that they are unknowing of their actions. How can someone
unknowingly take another persons life?
A common argument against trying juveniles as adults, is the belief that teenagers
are not mature and do not know any better. They see teenagers as still undeveloped and
not capable of fully knowing right from wrong. They believe that, most 16-year olds
have the cognitive capacity of adults, but they dont have the impulse control, the
decision-making ability, the experience to understand what is the consequence of their

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behavior, and they are influenced by peers in the ways adults are not(Lyons). They think
that teenagers who commit crimes should receive rehabilitation instead of prison
sentences.
Instead of giving teenagers rehabilitation after committing an act of murder,
further actions need to be taken to prevent these heinous crimes. If the justice system
became stricter and had murder cases result in a single universal punishment with a
sentence of life in jail, it would show teenagers that the U.S does not tolerate crime
regardless of age. When state laws made it easier for judges to sentence teenagers to life
in prison, such sentences have proven to be effective deterrents against serious crimes
(Sentencing Juveniles to Life Without Parole). If teenagers were treated the same way
as adults, it would give across the message that tough sentences will be the result for the
horrible acts you commit. The alternative routes for teenagers who have committed
murder are not justified for the actions they have taken. This would show that the end
result for crimes would always remain the same, no matter who commits it. As a nation,
our justice system depends upon holding perpetrators responsible for their
actions(Reaves).
People also argue that teenagers as easily influenced and will commit crimes
because of the atmosphere around them. If this is true, than the states having a single
punishment for murder will scare teenagers into not committing crimes due to the
punishment they would face, resulting in them being less inclined to act violent. If there
were a single punishment for people who commit murder instead of altering punishments
based off age, teenagers would not try and test their odds knowing their sentences may be
shortened. People who argue against imprisoning teenagers are sending a message to

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them that the juvenile system is a breeze and that, Hey youll get let off easy and
ultimately they do and will continue realizing this (Glazer). Carol Moseley Braun, a
Democratic U.S senator, has been seeking adult trials for juveniles after witnessing
several horrifying cases of crimes teenagers have committed. Moseley Braun, reportedly
had acted after learning that a teenager who shot an acquaintance had bragged in school
that the courts couldnt do anything to him because he was a juvenile(Glazer). Teenagers
have acted violently based on the fact that they know they will be treated differently in
court.
People fail to recognize what teenagers have done. When they argue against
prison sentences they do not see that these teenagers are now considered criminals, and
without a life sentence they would easily be allowed back into society, among innocent
people. Murder is a widespread problem, and with all the publicity it gets in the news and
neighborhoods, teenagers are well aware that murder is a terrible thing. From a young
age, kids know that murder is bad as they are seen as villains in their TV shows and
movies. How can people argue that teenagers do not have the moral or intellectual
capacity? Its absurd to argue that teenagers, who see the effect of violence around them,
do not understand what killing really is. The fact that they are capable enough to know
how to load and shoot a gun is a reason that they know exactly what they are doing.
Along with pushing aside the fact that these teenagers have murdered a person,
they fail to place importance on the victims family members and how placing the
murderer in prison should be the only outcome. The family of the person who got
murdered already has gone through enough, family members of murder victims deserve
to see the perpetrators of those crimes get maximum sentences for committing heinous

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acts (Sentencing Juveniles to Life Without Parole). The only way they could receive
even a small amount of piece of mind would to know that they will never have to deal
with the murderer again, and that they are receiving a punishment. While their family
member got their life taken away from them, people are arguing for the offenders to get a
second chance at life and not get sentenced to prison. How can people fight for someone
who has murdered another?
On April 14th I opened up a survey in attempt to collect a 100 responses on
peoples answers about questions that would either support my argument against trying
teenagers as adults for murder, or would go against it. After just being open for 2 days, I
got an overwhelming 320 responses, tripling the 100 people maximum that was set for
this essay. The amount of responses I received really shows how much interest people
have for my topic, and with all the responses, the results show that people are on my side
and in support of my position with trying teenagers as adults. Survey monkey randomly
collected 100 responses, which I will be using as my results. When asked their age 5 were
18 and under, 38 were aged 18-24, 5 were aged 25-30, and 52 were aged over 30. Out of
the 100 people, 88 were female and 12 were male. 80% percent of the takers received
college schooling ranging from some college all the way to doctoral degrees, and 20%
received a high school education. My survey consisted of 10 questions, and below are 4
questions with results that really show amazing results.

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Should teenagers be tried as adults for murder?

Yes

No

11%

89%

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Should teenagers be given a second chance after taking someones life away?
Yes, they deserve a life
No, they took someones life and deserve consequences

27%

73%

Do teenagers have morality and are conscious of their decesions? Do teenagers know right from wrong?
Yes No

Yes No

10%

25%

75%

90%

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After receiving such a great amount of survey answers, it really shows how many
people have such a strong opinion on the topic and also agree that teenagers should be
tried as adults for committing murder. For a situation that has been controversial for
decades, and for my survey to receive such popularity and feedback proves that this topic
needs to be discussed more and the positive outcomes of charging these offenders as
adults will really show. With crime continuing to rise, and for teenagers to be involved in
it, making laws more strict will not only influence teenagers to make better decisions and
protect their safety, it will give safety to the citizens.
With such a large topic, people will continue to argue that teenagers should be
given second chances, but why should teenagers be given a second chance after taking
someones life. No matter what environment these teenagers grow up in, murder is an
extreme act of violence and for every action comes with an outcome. Anyone, including
teenagers, should be held accountable for the decisions they make. People are treating
these teenagers like they made an honest and small mistake, how do they not realize that
murdering someone does not just happen and that teenagers are well aware of what they
are doing. Why only put adults in prison for murder, when the crimes teenagers commit
are the same and just as terrible. The courts, the schools, our society, should never allow
anyone, teenager or adult, get away with murder.

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Works Cited
Glazer, Sarah. "Juvenile Justice." CQ Researcher 25 Feb. 1994: 169-92. Web. 13
Apr.

2016.
Hansen, Brian. "Kids in Prison." CQ Researcher 27 Apr. 2001: 345-74.

Web.

13 Apr. 2016.
Lyons, Christina L. "Reforming Juvenile Justice." CQ Researcher 11 Sept. 2015:
745-68. Web. 1 May 2016.
Ragano, Angelina. Teenagers Tried as Adults. Survey. Survey Monkey. Ragano,
15 April 2016. Web. 1 May 2016
Reaves, Jessica. "Should the Law Treat Kids and Adults Differently?" Time. Time
Inc., 2001. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
Sentencing Juveniles to Life Without Parole. Issues & Controversies. Infobase
Learning, 21 Aug. 2009. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.