Jaden Murashima

Mrs. Yuasa
Expository Writing
12/8/14
Final: Juvenile Justice

Did you know that nearly 3000 children as young as 13 years old have been
sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole? It is shocking that at the age of
13, 8th graders are being sent to socialize with 30 year olds in adult prisons. I believe that
juveniles above the age of 15 should be tried as adults, because they have taken full
responsibilities and know their right from wrong. Putting a restriction on age will help to
lessen the amount of teens being put in prison. It will also make it easier to decide if a
teen should be eligible to be given life in prison.
There have been many recent cases that have involved teenagers being sentenced
to life in prison. For example Lionel Tate and Nathaniel Brazill who committed similar
murder crimes. Tate supposedly was imitating his World Wrestling Federation heroes
when he pummeled his playmate, less than a third his size(Lundstorm 11). With an
increase in teenagers being sentenced to prison it has become where, some 10,000
children are house in adult jails and prisons on any given day in America(Children in
Prison 5). In order to counter this increase of sending teens to prisons an age restriction
can be allowed to decrease that amount. By only allowing 15 year olds and above to be
tried as adults, we could cut down the 10,000 teens in prisons. But why should teens
above the age of 15 have a chance of imprisonment? I believe that they are at an age
where they know their right from wrong. By now, a 15 yr. old should know that killing

another innocent person is not right and unjust. In our society we see violence and murder
everyday; and it should click in ones mind that its not how we should act or else there
will be consequences.
Not only will it be determined if they are eligible for prison, but if they should be
sentenced to life in prison. This is more of an intense punishment, but I still think it
should be done. If a 15 yr. old commits a serious crime like mass murder for no suspected
reason without having serious mental issues, he should be sentenced to life in prison. The
teen must be held accountable for his actions no matter how big or small. In an article
about juveniles committing crimes it said, Hey they are only kids. That is, until they foul
up. Until they commit crimes. And the bigger the crime, the more eager we are to call
them adults(Lundstrom 4-5). I know that many people believe in second chances but
killing is not something to be joked about when it comes to teens. In a recent article it
said that, In fact, more that half of all people released from prison return within three
years(ACLU). Being in an adult prison can often change and influence teens to become
more violent that when they first came in. The article called On Punishment and Teen
Killers it explained a case where the offender had no mental disabilities; he was just a
cereal killer in the making. All of these reasons are valid to why life in prison should be a
possible sentence for juveniles who commit crimes.
On the contrary an article called Startling Finds on Teenage Brains found that
teen brains could be a reason why they should not be tried as adults. It said, brain cells
and connections are only being lost in the areas controlling impulses, risk-taking, and
self- control(Thompson 7). They mentioned that Nathaniel Brazills actions were due to
his lack of knowledge and ability to control his erratic behavior. By judging from their

statements they believe that because of a lack of brain development in teens, they are not
adults yet and should not be tried as adults in court.
Putting everything else aside, I believe that juveniles above the age of 15 should
be tried as adults because, they have taken full responsibilities at that age; and know their
right from wrong in certain situations. Being a teen myself my parents have taught me to
be held accountable for my actions, and what I do is for a reason. With teens committing
crimes it should be the same. Become older only increases your knowledge and capacity
to learn what is right from wrong.

Barro, Josh. "America Is Breeding A New Generation Of Criminals By Sending Too

Many Teenagers To Jail." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 13 June 2013. Web. 09
Dec. 2014.
"Children in Prison." EJI. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.
Lundstrom, Marjie. "Kids Are Kids-Until They Commit Crimes." Sacramento bee
(March 1,2001): 45-46. Web.
Thompson, Paul. "Startling Finds on Teenage Brains." Sacramento Bee (May 25, 2001):
n. pag. Web.