Kids Shouldn’t Be Tried as Adults

“If you grow up with domestic violence, you’re 74 percent more likely to commit a violent crime against someone else” states a study done by cdv.org. The more kids and teenagers exposed to violence the more likely they are to commit a crime. So how can young adults develop life skills when they are sitting in a jail cell for years at a time?

“Spending one’s time in a jail cell instead of getting an education will affect the development of a teenager,” says Alex Frank of vera.org, in her article “Why Reimaging Prison For Your Young Adult Matters”, “prison presents an unnatural social context which creates challenges for young adults to achieve key developmental milestones.” Young adults spending time in prison will not be as emotionally developed as their peers because of the strange circumstances they experience at a young age.  As a result, a young adult or child should not be tried as an adult because if they are found guilty and go to jail. Where does their childhood and life go?

Some of the critical developmental milestones young adults in prison will have problems with are connecting with people, learning from mistakes, coping from mistakes, being reliable and accountable, and preparing for their future. However, young adults who do get their cases tried as adults are part of a specific background. This background often includes violence and drugs, whether the young adult uses it or grows up around it. These “habits” young adults experience as children can be carried with them into their teenage years and can get them in trouble. Some believe there is hope of rehabilitating these damage kids. In 2016, according to an article by, The New York Times, a Manhattan judge ruled that federal authorities should not prosecute a teenager, accused of being a member of a violent gang, as an adult. The judge said that “His background suggested that a ‘significant root cause’ of his crimes was ‘environmental.’ Also that “if he were to be removed from South Bronx and given ‘structured support and guidance,’ he could be rehabilitated.

People want to argue that what if a teenager commits a serious or capital crime like murder, there should be a punishment for an extreme crime. However, a study done by statista.com, says that in 2016, 182,000 violent crimes committed by teenagers were recorded. Since 1993, the number of violent crimes committed by teenagers has been decreasing.

At some point, a law must be put in place to explain the limits/restrictions on trying teenagers as adults. However, for now, focusing on helping low-income and poor living conditions in neighborhoods and families are long-term ways to help diminish teenage violence.

Works Cited:

“10 Startling Statistics about Children of Domestic Violence.” CDV, 22 Aug. 2016, cdv.org/2014/02/10-startling-domestic-violence-statistics-for-children/.

“U.S. – Number of Serious Violent Crimes by Youth 1980-2016 | Statistic.” Statista, www.statista.com/statistics/477466/number-of-serious-violent-crimes-by-youth-in-the-us/.

Weiser, Benjamin. “Bronx Teenager Won’t Be Tried as Adult in Gang Case.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 Dec. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2016/11/22/nyregion/bronx-teenager-wont-be-tried-as-adult-in-gang-case.html.

“Why Reimagining Prison for Young Adults Matters.” Vera, 1 Feb. 2018, www.vera.org/blog/why-reimagining-prison-for-young-adults-matters.