Well if it is a premeditated crime then yes but if it is spur of the momet then no.

The mind of a fifteen-year-old =/= that of a thirty-year-old. I never said that there should be no punishment, but the punishment should not be the same for a teenager as an adult, because teenagers aren't adults. Rehabilitation will most likely work on a teenager, and it's definitely worth the try. I think he would thank society a few years down the road for showing him some mercy and not taking the rest of his life away from him.

 

Huh, you really think so? At fifteen or older, I'd certainly say tried as an adult, as results of rehab and whatnot will probably be equally (un)effective. Although I do have to say 13, 14 or so, that's a little iffier.

There is a difference between a teen who makes a dumb mistake and one who kills someone. There is also a difference between a teen who is on their forst offence and one who is on their 34th appearance in court (I am using a local example here). The first in each case do not need to be tried as adults, they can have the chance to be sorry and fix their mistakes. The latter in each case need to be punished. There is a girl in the city where I live who has commited 20 offences in the 2 years since she turned 14 (before which you can't be charged at all). That is one conviction per month with teh exception of two months a year. Obviously the system is not helping.

 

 

 

Our youth justice thing is great for the people who make dumb choices and are sorry, but once they prove to everyone that they don't care, its time for something else. Once we see there is no remorse, stop trying useless rehibilitation and start using some actual punishment.

Until the constitution states they're adults it's contradicting itself by charging minors as adults. If a person isn't allowed vote or use other rights granted on adulthood then it is unfair to charge them as adults, something they're not.

 

 

 

If a 16 year old can't have a beer then he / she shouldn't be allowed the adult sentence for whatever his / her crime is.

 

 

 

 

 

so, say a 16 were to hijack a cargo plane and fly into a very-very-very tall building. And before the plane were to crash, he jumped out?

By 10 years old a person should know that murder is wrong and any adult would land in jail if they committed murder. If a 16 year old girl kills another girl because she stole her boyfriend or something stupid like that why shouldn't she be put in jail to protect the other students who like the guy she like?

 

 

 

A 16 year old may not be an adult but whether or not they were beaten as a child, orphaned, or whatever 16 year olds should have enough common sense to think "Hey if I do this I could be put in jail"

so, say a 16 were to hijack a cargo plane and fly into a very-very-very tall building. And before the plane were to crash, he jumped out?

 

He just jumped out of a plane.

 

 

 

No longer our problem.

By 10 years old a person should know that murder is wrong and any adult would land in jail if they committed murder. If a 16 year old girl kills another girl because she stole her boyfriend or something stupid like that why shouldn't she be put in jail to protect the other students who like the guy she like?

 

 

 

A 16 year old may not be an adult but whether or not they were beaten as a child, orphaned, or whatever 16 year olds should have enough common sense to think "Hey if I do this I could be put in jail"

 

Which is why for special cases like that they do try them as adults. Premeditated murder and all that tomfoolery.

Until the constitution states they're adults it's contradicting itself by charging minors as adults. If a person isn't allowed vote or use other rights granted on adulthood then it is unfair to charge them as adults, something they're not.

 

 

 

If a 16 year old can't have a beer then he / she shouldn't be allowed the adult sentence for whatever his / her crime is.

 

 

 

 

 

so, say a 16 were to hijack a cargo plane and fly into a very-very-very tall building. And before the plane were to crash, he jumped out?

 

 

 

He's legally not an adult. Therefore he shouldn't be charged as a adult under the legal system. You can't classify a person as an adult when it suits you and when it doesn't. They're either an adult or they're not.

Of Course not.

Everyone seems to think that by 15-17 a teen hasn't matured yet. Sure, puberty isn't over and they still have their whole life ahead of them. Does that mean that they can't tell the difference between right and wrong? That they do unspeakable acts because they don't know better? Yes, teens can be impulsive. But if you ask me acting on instinct or first thoughts doesn't mean you're immune from the consequences. If you ask me, a teen who murders someone because he's angry at his girlfriend who broke up with him is the same thing as a 25 year old who committed the same crime. Age barely plays a role. Whether you're 17 or 32, the events don't become much easier to handle. It's ridiculous to say a teen can't control himself from killing someone over something like a lost girlfriend.

 

 

 

And I'm sure a lot of people's views here would change if they had more personal experience. If someone you loved was killed or raped by a teenager who was upset because he lost his girlfriend or some other issue, the last thing you're going to be concerned about is his wellbeing.

Trust me at 14/15/16 I was a lot more impulsive and immature than I am now (I'm only 21 now). In those adolescent years you're still maturing and learning to deal with things, you might physically be a grown man a 16 (it varies) but mentally you've still got important years ahead where you need to mature.

 

 

 

The only people who should be tried as adults are adults.

Yes, i don't see why you should get away with it. Sure you might not be the right age but you should still know what is right and what is wrong. I hate it when people get away with things just because there not adults.

Trust me at 14/15/16 I was a lot more impulsive and immature than I am now (I'm only 21 now). In those adolescent years you're still maturing and learning to deal with things, you might physically be a grown man a 16 (it varies) but mentally you've still got important years ahead where you need to mature.

 

 

 

The only people who should be tried as adults are adults.

 

 

 

 

 

What about adults with a mental capacity of a 15 year old?

 

 

 

Every teen acts very old and mature, until they mess up and start screaming "I'm only 16, only 16!!!"

Yes, they should. By the time a person is a teenager they know right from wrong and they know whether or not they're committing a crime they aren't stupid.

Of course they should. Teens may not be the brightest age group on the planet, but that doesn't justify committing horrendous actions whatsoever. We're old enough to abide by the rules and have self-control.

And I'm sure a lot of people's views here would change if they had more personal experience. If someone you loved was killed or raped by a teenager who was upset because he lost his girlfriend or some other issue, the last thing you're going to be concerned about is his wellbeing.

 

 

 

Conversely, if you were the one who commited the crime in a fit of indiscretion, you would probably be in a pretty wretched state hearing that you could go to jail for the rest of your life.

 

And I'm sure a lot of people's views here would change if they had more personal experience. If someone you loved was killed or raped by a teenager who was upset because he lost his girlfriend or some other issue, the last thing you're going to be concerned about is his wellbeing.

 

 

 

Everyone wants the offender to have a more harsh punishment when they or even someone they love is the victim. That doesn't mean the victim or victim's family are thinking completely rationally nor will they ever think rationally about it. Ultimately I think it's best for a more neutral third party (court system) to make the final decision on the punishment.

What about adults with a mental capacity of a 15 year old?

 

People with learning disabilities are already given a psychological report before a sentence is passed so I've no idea where you're going with that.

 

 

 

And I'm sure a lot of people's views here would change if they had more personal experience. If someone you loved was killed or raped by a teenager who was upset because he lost his girlfriend or some other issue, the last thing you're going to be concerned about is his wellbeing.

 

I'd rather not live in a society where emotions are placed higher than rational thinking when deciding a punishment. What percentage of teenagers actually do that anyway? It seems to me you're just pulling at heartstrings.

 

 

 

I think there's a difference between murdering someone and committing some petty crime (minor vandelism, shoplifting about £1's worth of items, that sort of thing). A fourteen year old should know that murdering is wrong, and merely being a confused teenager doesn't make much sense as an excuse. Yes, they should be punished like an adult, although I also agree it's absurd we regard "taking responsibility" to mean locking them away for 25 years and hoping they've learnt their lesson.

 

 

 

Shoplifting because of peer pressure though? Please, it's not even comparable to a fully grown adult who does the crime by himself with no outside influence.

 

What about adults with a mental capacity of a 15 year old?

 

 

 

Every teen acts very old and mature, until they mess up and start screaming "I'm only 16, only 16!!!"

 

 

 

Both of those points are irrelevant, adults with learning difficulties are subject to assessment already as Ginger said. As for your second point, you're right every teen acts like they are mature, it doesn't mean they are mature.

It strikes me as ironic that a lot of the posters saying that teens should be charged as adults are teens themselves.

They should seal them in a massive box, made of plexiglass and see how long it takes for them to die from oxygen starvation!!!

Most teenagers are able to distinguish between right and wrong. For the ones that can't, there's usually a psychological issue somewhere, so they probably wouldn't be prosecuted as harshly. That being said, I say to prosecute them the same as everyone else, unless there's an underlying psychological problem. The only thing that probably wouldn't get my support is the death penalty for say, a 14 year old.

They should seal them in a massive box, made of plexiglass and see how long it takes for them to die from oxygen starvation!!!

 

 

 

Deprivation