Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Summary - Essay Example Ordinarily, the aim of the justice system is to curb crime. For youth offenders, the phrase nip at the bud is more appropriate. However, when these youth offenders go through adult courts and end up in adult prisons the result does not reflect curbing crime. Schiraldi and Ziedenberg report that minors tried in the adult courts tend to regress back to crime compared to those tried by juvenile courts. Studies also show that; all states that allow state prosecutors the discretion to send youth to adult court have higher juvenile crime rates than those that do not. For instance, Florida’s juvenile crime rate is 48% higher than the national average (Hickey, 2012). This crime rates are high because the process of rehabilitation as reported by Schiraldi and Ziedenberg is not adequate. Studies further show that youth sent to juvenile facilities felt that the experience mitigated their onset of criminal life. This is because, in juvenile facilities, the youth offenders feel that they c an change, and this eases rehabilitation. Also, they viewed the facilities personal as understanding which helped them change their attitudes. On the other hand, youths sent to adult prison reported learning more negative behavior such as how to commit new, more aggressive crimes. In such a scenario, one can conclusively say that prison cultivates ground for future crimes. Secondly, the adult prison personal was not as understanding, and they make inmates feel doomed to a life in prison (Hickey, 2012). In addition to these systemic shortcomings of prisons, there are other dangers that the youth experience while in prison. One of the most common dangers is prison rape. Because of their vulnerable state, youth convicts are subject to sexual abuse by older convicts and even the prison personnel. This sexual abuse leads to psychological trauma and self loathing which is not a favorable environment for positive change. The young offenders also face risks such as attacks with weapons that cause injury or death. The result of the attacks is that the individual becomes aggressive and, thereby, resistant to change. The frustrations the youth experience in prison at such a tender age lead to despair. As such, the suicide rate of youths in prison is 7.7 % higher than in juvenile detention centers (Hickey, 2012). Granted, there are crimes that are gruesome and the prosecution got no choice rather than to refer them to adult courts. However, the studies reported by Schiraldi and Ziedenberg indicate that the crimes sent to adult court are so minor they qualify to be misdemeanors. Most of the suspects have no priors, do not commit violence and acknowledge their wrong doings. An excellent example is the case against Anthony Laster, in Florida. Anthony went through wrenching court proceedings for a one time non violent crime because the prosecution referred him to an adult court. Critiques argue that in other states, his issue was a Principals office matter and not even a juve nile offence (Hickey, 2012). As such, utilizing adult justice system on a delinquent in most instances is like shooting a mosquito with a shot gun! Ryder (2011) views juvenile delinquency as a social problem. He argues that, in the wake of the 21st century, parents and the community want to contribute to the rehabilitation of the