John Yowan
Mr. Painter
English 10
25 April 2004
Teenagers should only be tried as adults in cases involving serious crimes such as murder, rape, and assault with a deadly weapon. This would lower the number of teens in adult prisons. This would also keep teens that do serious crimes in jail, keeping people safe from teens that do a serious crime and get out in a few years.
Most teenagers in adult jails are there because of minor offenses. According to jail records, “1,390 children were held over a four-year period, most for minor and status offenses” (factsheet). If teenagers were only tried as adults in cases involving serious crimes there would be a lot less teens in adult prisons. Many children are sent to adult courts instead of being tried in juvenile courts.
A lot of teens are being tried as adults. According to a study “ Around 25,000 children a year have their cases sent to adult courts instead of being tried in juvenile courts.” (Study). If the system where changed, the number of teens being tried as adults would drastically drop. The only teens that should be in adult prisons are ones that do serious crimes.
Teenagers who do crimes involving rape, murder, and assault with a deadly weapon should go to adult prisons to keep people safe. “ A 15-year-old, former freshmen David Dominguez stabbed two other freshmen, one of them several times in the back.” (Chan). In order to keep people safe, teens that do serious crimes should be tried as adults.
If teenagers were only tried, as adults in cases involving serious crimes such as murder, rape, and assault with a deadly weapon the number of teens in adult prisons would lower, teens that do serious crimes would stay in jail longer, and people would be safer from teens that do a serious crime and get out in a few years.