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Topic : Should the justice system treat young offenders as adult criminals, or should it attempt to rehabilitate them in youth facilities?

Crime by all of its types is a dangerous problem surging in some countries. Many governments are trying to find measures to tackle this perturbing issues. There are two main points of view on how to deal with crimes. While some people think that the best way to stop the problem is to impose sentences on adult criminals for a longer period of time. Others hold belief that there are a myriad of solutions which could work considerably more effectively than the first-mentioned one such as rehabilitation. In my opinion, I completely advocate the latter tactic. In order to strengthen my viewpoint, this article would use numerous case studies and explanations to bring out specific evidence for the progress of offenders following probation and the inadequate cognitive growth in an adult prison.

(Argument 1 :

First and foremost, children’s physical development during their puberty is significantly crucial, however, psychological aspect is still incomplete, immature and inconsiderate, etc. Therefore, they are more likely to make perilous decisons but cannot imagine the consequences of their actions.(topic sentence)

(Evidence) : For example, 18th-century English common law prescribed a tripartite approach to the administration of justice. At the first level were children under the age of seven deemed incapable of having criminal intent, hence exempted from all prosecution and punishment. On the second tier were persons between seven and 14 years of age presumed to lack mental capacity in order to commit crimes unless prosecution can prove that the children are able to conduct criminal actions. The third tier was comprised of 14-to-21-year-old ones, they were described to have enough mental capabilities to be fully culpable for the crimes committed; however, the defense could argue otherwise. Beginning with pubertal timing, primarily girls going through puberty earlier than the norm are associated with a host of adjustment problems including risky sexual activities and delinquencies. In other words, they are adult-like physically and, as a result, may engage in actions or put themselves in situations which are ahead of their emotional or cognitive capacities (Cavanagh, 2004 ; Haynie, 2003). For much of this century, scientists and scholars studying adolescence tended to assume that the changes associated with adolescence were almost entirely dictated by biological influences. Adolescence, a 1904 book by G. Stanley Hall, typified this standpoint. It was Hall who popularized the notion that adolescence is inevitably a time of psychological and emotional turmoil (Hall, 1904). Half a century later, psychoanalytic writers including Anna Freud accepted and augmented Hall's emphasis on turmoil (Petersen, 1988).

(Restate opinion) Re-education in-home or reformatory provides the foundations for a young person to rebuild their life, move forward into a positive future away from crime as well as improve their roles and responsibilities. When they are respected and see their role in the community, they become responsible for the community.

Argument 2 :

(topic sentence)Secondly, in my observation, the prison system can make the situation worse and the act of putting young prisoners in adult prisons has an extremely damaging effect.

(Evidence) If young offenders go to prison, in fact that they confront with their long sentence and the potemtial of never coming back home makes them try to integrate into their new world. They can hardly focus on changing their thought and behavior because they are always in the feeling of fear and helplessness at the prison. The fear produces a requirement for security, which leads to many youthful detainees to accede to gangs and utilize force for survival. Sometimes, While they are locked up in prison, they do not have much to do there, and they would exchange information about what they have done before they came to the prison or they may plan crimes with other inmates.

The only way to change the behavior of young prisoners is to provide them with the opportunity to gain insight into why they think and behave the way they do. If rehabilitation is the goal for teenagers who are tried and sentenced, then prison is not the answer. To juvenile offenders there should be a special location. Rehabilitation is more feasible a conducive education atmosphere, where young offenders can gain insight into their actions and bring about lasting change. (Restate opinion)

Argument 3 :

.(topic sentence) Often, the offenders have no other means to earn money. They are weak, uneducated and lack the skills required to hold up a job. A criminal record often makes it harder to find a job, so employers generally avoid hiring employees with a criminal history.

(Evidence) Juvenile detention is a really counterproductive strategy for many youths under the age of 19, not only does throwing a kid in prison but also often reduce the chance that he or she will graduate high school, so it also increases the risk that the child will commit more crimes later in life (Anna & Joseph, 2013). There are a few explanations for this that obviously going to jail will ruin the study cycle and make it more difficult to get a job later on. Many people who end up behind bars end up making friends with other offenders and building "criminal capital." Prison turns out to be excellent training for a life of crime. In Vietnam after being released from prison most of the young offenders are unemployed because of their crimes or their children cannot apply to some fields of study such as security branches.

(Restate opinion) Above all, Instead of bringing children to go to prison, we should need vocational training which allows inmates to prepare for life outside re-education camp. In addition, they can take part in social activities then offenders can help society and become useful to their local community, and these activities would eliminate the negative influence that prisons can have.

(Counter argument)

(topic sentence) On the other hand, in some cases, there are benefits for give longer prison sentences.

(Evidence) There are many reasons for this opinion. Firstly, this judgment will be a strong deterrent for the criminal. Furthermore, it isolates the offender from society because those cases were intended to commit crimes in the first place should not be tolerated before the law, for example, in the cases brought to trial, there are many cases showing people committing cruel, reckless, intentional to the end, causing particularly serious consequences, shocking public opinion like Le Van Luyen's case. He had committed a crime of robbery and murder at the age of 18. In this case, it is the serious crimes and local remedies that have been applied but ineffective then more severe sanctions will always be considered necessary. Therefore with the situation of juvenile law violations constantly increasing, many suggestions that should lower the age of the start of criminal liability below 14 (Trinh, 2013).

(Rebuttal) Therefore this can produce a safety society and free of crime. But if this method was stringently implemented, it would not be the most effective way at all, because not in all cases juveniles committing crimes must become crimes. It can be seen that Children who are psychologically affected or thoughtless who have accidentally committed crimes should apply gentle educational measures to change behaviors and thoughts instead of heavy sentences. Therefore, it is clear that the courts would need to consider administering specific therapies to juvenile offenders in order to properly carry out the act of justice.

To conclude, I would like once again to affirm my conviction that offenders deserve special care and rehabilitation. Hence, Rehabilitating in the youth facilities is certainly more beneficial for young people in particular and society in general for numerous reasons imposing rigid can destroys their future. Hopefully, the teenager will get sufficient treatment for their issues and eventually be rehabilitated and live a good life.