Question: Why do kids go to jail for life for something they did when they are young and stupid?
Answer: First, kids don't usually go to jail for life, period. The kid would have to be transferred to Adult Court to get a life sentence, and even then only a brutal murder would qualify for a life sentence. Although more and more juveniles are now being transferred to Adult Court, life sentences for juveniles are the exception rather than the rule.
The Courts realize that many juveniles commit crimes and do 'stupid' things as kids. Therefore, the object of the juvenile criminal system is to rehabilitate the juvenile, not punish. A life sentence serves as punishment and does not serve this purpose.
If the juvenile justice system never allowed juveniles to re-enter society in order to show that they can make amends for their troubled past, the system has failed. Today, there are so many alternatives to jail or even probation for our troubled kids. Some of these include court-supervised on the job training or education training.
|
