We need to create policies that will make young people see the act itself as a violent and inhumane crime. They must learn to develop responsibility, foresee actions in fear of the law, and be held accountable for their behaviors at every turn of their lives. Lowering the age of juvenile offenders where courts may see the flexibility to impose longer sentences on children may not be the answer to the rising juvenile delinquency problems. The issue is the crime and the act that was committed and its corresponding punishment.
The court must serve to justify the victims and abhor criminal acts. There shall be no basis for repetitive acts on homes and in courts. Criminality is a choice even in their juvenile years. If they cannot see the wisdom of holding themselves responsible for the act then they must see the reason to fear the law that upholds their victim’s justice. The concept of fear of the law will serve to modify behavior patterns and result to acceptable humane moral values. Without fear a juvenile offender cannot be rehabilitated and psychologically treated inside or outside of the law.
What is there to prevent him from taking harm on himself and on other people if the law is a supportive as it has been from past experiences, always forgiving and rehabilitating? Rehabilitation can be a choice destination for an adult assisted crime get away and emoting lame excuse of being a juvenile already forgiven government assisted offender. The age of juvenile responsibility shall be taken on the age he learns to smoke and do substance abuse which on national statistics begins at the age as young as 8 to 12.
The way I see it, the government has already imposed a lot of errors creating policies on interfering family affairs and treating juvenile offenders like they are babies. This is the very reason the youth of today is being difficult to discipline in fact and in truth because of this governmental back ups. Juvenile offenders shall be treated like adults according to the severity of the crimes that they have committed to mention some like murder, rape and other brutal criminal offenses regardless of age.
There must be some form of emotional sacrifice for the greater good of mankind. The court cannot be always considerate in gun running, drug pushing, rape, and killing. If we can think of a rationale that will support our fears on the concept of being frightened of being murdered by the hands of our own children and why we should not act on it then we can continue on rehab and wait for our turn to play victims. We may not deal much with age because we have to absolutely deal with the act that was committed when trying juvenile offenders in court.
Choices come with the consequences. If they think they can manage with the consequence of their acts then they will have the confidence and never fear to repeat history over their lifetimes. This is but natural and practical cause and effect theory. How come the court never considers systems thinking in classification of committed crimes and rehab prospects on young offenders?
References
Singer, S. (1996). Recriminalizing delinquency: Violent juvenile crime and Juvenile justice reform. New York: Cambridge University Press.
