Kiara Planter

Inquiry Project
Juvenile Offenders in the Adult System
There are an estimated 250,000 youth who are tried, sentenced or incarcerated as adults
each year. After serving time theyre coming back into society indelibly marked by what theyve
experienced either traumatized by sexual assault, or hyper-violent from having learned to fend
off the threat. The number of those who are less than 18 year old at age of admission to prison
represent a minority of inmates in adult prisons nationwide, they are a growing presence. With
the start of a fast growing violent juvenile crime rate in the 1980s the public began to panic with
concerns regarding violence among the youth, the concerns also rose to a legislative level
resulting in policies to crack down on the youth.
Over the years many things have changed concerning youth in the justice system, the
changes in laws regarding how juvenile criminals are sentenced in length as well as correctional
setting thus changing the possible effects on the juvenile overall. One of the changes made to the
justice system at this time lowered the age in which juvenile offenders can be transferred to adult
criminal courts. Another change researched was the ability to give a blended sentence in which
an individual is sentenced to a juvenile correctional facility then after a certain age they are
transferred to an adult correctional facility for the remainder of the sentence. The way society has
changed in the recent years people will be more on the side of the law rather than the teen
because they arent as respectful to authority figures as in the past. Teens dont want to be treated
as kids but dont want the responsibility of being treated as an adult. Some may say that teens are

old enough to understand right from wrong as well as now the consequences of their wrongs.
Understanding how the severity of crimes impact the severity of sentence gives even more
insight into how juvenile criminals are treated.
There are many factors that need to be considered in determining whether or not a
juvenile offender should be tried as an adult. Some of these factors are poverty, family, and also
their environment. Poverty comes into play when one thinks about things such as housing
conditions and the ability for food to be provided for the entire family. The feeling of
hopelessness is easily associated with poverty being that an individual will do what he sees
necessary to have whats necessary to survive. The family comes in dealing with a more
structural aspect dealing with how he household is and parental involvement. Looking into the
way in which family structure impacts an individual shows how broken homes and custody
battles take a toll on youth and can lead a destructive path. Environmental factors impact things
like the way an individual perceive things and influence decision making. There are statistics that
show that majority of juvenile offenders come from broken homes. Being in a broken home
causes anger and there is often a need for an outlet. The outlet is more than often crime such as
fights and joining gangs. Teens that live with only one parent is more inclined to be rebellious
and do drugs or alcohol.
Some teens grow up in tough situations. Some are presented with a struggle such as
poverty. Seeing your family struggle can lead to other household problems such as parents
getting divorced. Without one of the parents times may be even harder because thats one less
person that will be providing for the family. This in result causes more struggles and in makes
someone resentful. So teens who are trying to help their family turn to crime to find a quick way

ahead. That is not necessarily the right to go about things, but for some people thats all they ever
knew. This connects to the environmental factor of things. In low class neighborhoods there is
more of a police occurrence which shows that the police expect the lower class people to commit
crimes.
While incarcerated in adult facilities there are many unwanted situations you can be put into at
the hands of other prisoners or even correctional officers. The U.S. Department of Justice
reported that 10% of prisoners suffer from sexual abuse while in incarceration. Out of the reports
of unwanted sexual contact 25% were at the hands of other inmates in which they were
restrained. Based on the examinations performed by Jordan and Mcneal the effects that the adult
system has on juvenile offenders can be interpreted in two ways internal and external. Internal
factors are those within the individual meaning the offense would be looked at in a harsher sense
if it came down to these factors because it is thought to represent bad character. External factors
are those influenced by the environment things such as neighborhood conditions or school,
external factors usually reduces offenders liability because the things are seen to be out of the
control of the individual. The author explores how sentencing works and how transferred
individuals are impacted. The purpose of the research is to understand the background aspects of
sentencing that go into the major decisions made by the court. (Jordan, Kareem L., and Brittani
A. Mcneal. "Juvenile Penalty or Leniency: Sentencing of Juveniles in the Criminal Justice
System.")
The way juveniles are sentenced effect a lot of different things in their life moving
forward. Not only will their criminal record remain, but the things they experience will stay with
them long after they are released. The feelings among those in adult and juvenile facilities are
similar in which they both commonly experience feelings of isolation, humiliation and

depression. These feelings can come from many different things for example if a youth inmate is
assaulted the damage for this will live with them possibly beyond the sentence. A large portion of
youth prior to and during incarceration experienced mental health issues the most common ones
being substance abuse, depression, anxiety and sleep disorder. Mental health is a significant
concern among youth in juvenile detention centers the research goes into detail about mental
health care that was assessed along with use of medication for mental health problems. A large
portion of youth prior to and during incarceration experienced mental health issues the most
common ones being substance abuse, depression, anxiety and sleep disorder. Those occurring on
lower rates consist of panic attacks, personality disorders and mania. Psychological concerns
consist of perceptions of self and peers in which two different researched results one which
males incarcerated and non- incarcerated show no difference in perception of themselves and
others; the other results show that there is a low perception of others and themselves in youth
that are incarcerated (Pyle, N., A. Flower, A. M. Fall, and J. Williams. "Individual-Level Risk
Factors of Incarcerated Youth."). The way juveniles lives are impacted differ based on the
facility in which they are placed. For example those placed in adult facilities have higher rate of
suicide than those in juvenile correctional facilities as those individuals in the free world rank
even lower.
Juveniles who have been convicted of major crimes will have their record will follow
them for a great portion of their lives. In later convictions your juvenile record will be looked at
to determine your sentence length. Adjudications of delinquency affects job opportunities,
adjudication also may have an effect on public housing as well as other benefits. A felony
adjudication may restrict on from serving in the military. Juvenile records have a huge impact on
those trying to turn their lives around. If you have a juvenile record you have a higher chance not

be chosen for a job dealing with elderly or children. Joining the military also is an issue. Those
who want to attend the military may not be able to join depending on the conviction. When it
comes to the military they want people who can be trusted and that will abide by the rules to get
the task done. The range of different jobs that can be acquired will be very limited. Jobs will be
limited firstly because the convicted juvenile will have very minimum education. Secondly
because of the record that will be found if/when a background check is done. For some
employers hiring felons are not even an option and most of the time they dont even call they
applicant for a follow up interview. That means that there is not even a bit of a chance that the
felon will receive the job.
The CDC reports that youth who are transferred to the adult system are approximately 34
percent more likely than youth retained in the juvenile court system to be rearrested for a felony.
Having a juvenile offender tried as an adult makes their chances of returning on a felony charge
higher than those who stay in the juvenile system. Having a juvenile record also affects the status
of your license. Some offenses suspend your license such as charges dealing with drugs, alcohol,
and driving offenses. Juveniles may be expelled from school for delinquency adjudications for
certain offenses, and information about delinquency adjudications will be sent to the next school
if they choose to transfer.

Jordan, Kareem L., and Brittani A. Mcneal. "Juvenile Penalty or Leniency: Sentencing of
Juveniles in the Criminal Justice System." Law and Human Behavior 40.4 (2016): 387
400. Web.

Pyle, N., A. Flower, A. M. Fall, and J. Williams. "Individual-Level Risk Factors of Incarcerated
Youth." Remedial and Special Education 37.3 (2015): 172-86. Web.

Kuanliang, A., J. R. Sorensen, and M. D. Cunningham. "Juvenile Inmates in an Adult Prison

System: Rates of Disciplinary Misconduct and Violence." Criminal Justice and Behavior
35.9 (2008): 1186-201. Web

Coleman, Daniel. "Trauma and Incarcerated Youth." Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work
2.3-4 (2005): 113-24. Web.
Rodriguez, Nancy, Hilary Smith, and Marjorie S. Zatz. "Youth Is Enmeshed In A Highly
Dysfunctional Family System: Exploring The Relationship Among Dysfunctional Families,
Parental Incarceration, And Juvenile Court Decision Making." Criminology 47.1 (2009): 177208. Web.
YOUTH IN THE ADULT SYSTEM FACT SHEET (n.d.): n. pag. Act for Juvenile Justice. Web.