Second Chances
Introduction
More than 20 years ago, adult murderers were getting arrested for manslaughter which was common back in those days and people did not expect any concept of juvenile murderers of being created. Incidentally, America was not prepared to send a child to jail for murderous crimes and it can hardly be argued that it was thought inhumane. However, with more juvenile murderers on the rise, more and more people such as families of those murdered have begun to agree that juvenile murderers should be locked up.
Cruel and unusual punishment has been mentioned in cases such as these because sending a child to prison for their rest of their lives is seen as that, but society on a whole believes that no one especially a child be exempt from their crimes even if they are indeed children. Incidentally, some juvenile murderers that are sent to prison are given life with or without parole based on their crimes. The death penalty has been taken out in accordance to many states, the states is satisfied with sending that child to prison for the rest of their lives; the death penalty gives them an escape so they cannot fully answer for what they have done.
When the juvenile murderer Adnan Syed killed his girlfriend Hae Min Lee, they and juveniles like him are tried and punished to the fullest extent of the law. Many in the justice system believe that sending a juvenile to prison will give them a sense of remorse and make it their life’s work to redeem themselves for the better, the death penalty was an option, but it is not justice. There are many who still believe that juvenile murderers should be given the death penalty in the name of justice, but life without parole in prison is just as lethal as any injection. Juvenile murderers have punishments to fit their crimes, but some are also given second chances.
Punishments and Juvenile Murderers
When a juvenile commits murder, they are automatically arrested and tried as adults. However, the punishment that they get can differ per juvenile and it is worth noting that some juveniles face punishments that are common today than 20 years ago. For example, some juveniles are naturally given parole after serving a good bulk of their time in prison and on good behavior. According to Piven (2014), “Many kids get prison time based on murder charges, but they also get a break in their sentence when they have shown improvement” (Piven, 2014).
There are some juvenile murderers who never get parole and they are sentenced to life in prison, the families of the murdered might feel that the juveniles deserve what they get for their crimes. Adnan Syed is one such juvenile who killed his girlfriend indiscriminately, but he should go to prison for the rest of his life with a possibility for parole. This is mostly used to further the point that juvenile killing for no apparent reason is dealt with harshly not to mention mercilessly. According to Wallin & Klarich (2016), “There are punishments set aside for juvenile murderers and most of them are not moving toward house arrest or even wearing an electronic monitor” (Wallin & Klarich, 2016).
Many people have argued that the punishment for a juvenile murderer is exactly what society needs and it is a good way to help them see that what they did was wrong, but it serves a purpose nonetheless. When that juvenile cannot hang out with their friends because they are serving time in prison and those jail guards see that juvenile break down based on that realization, there is a satisfaction that can be taken from that. According to Wolf (2016), “Juveniles should be given life sentences because they need to know that killing someone is not justified on any basis” (Wolf, 2016). Make no mistake, the punishment for juvenile murderers take many forms and it is for the good of society that they pay their debt.
Rehabilitation in Prison
Many families of those who died as a result of murder by a juvenile have often wondered if the rehabilitation in prison is doing any good, the aspect of that is that the juvenile murderer is in prison to clean up their act so to speak and if they are given a reprieve or time taken off their sentence then they will get a chance to prove that the prison rehabilitation actually did them some good. According to Figueroa (2015), “There are too many juveniles getting life sentences in prison, prison used to be about lighter sentences and rehabilitation which it still should be” (Figueroa, 2015).
The rehabilitation aspect that many juveniles murderers face in jail have made many juveniles see the error of their ways, it cannot be argued that many come out of prison better people. Adnan can be rehabilitated in prison as any other juvenile can. There are still some that believe that juveniles should be given the death penalty because of the “eye for an eye” concept. According to Brownsberger (2014), “Juveniles murderers who face first degree murder charges are often given life without parole hence eliminating any chance that they will repeat past criminal acts” (Brownsberger, 2014).
The justice system firmly believes that the longer that a juvenile is in prison, the more likely they will begin to reevaluate their lives and begin to have a sense of conscious. There are some that believe that rehabilitation should not be an option because it provides its own set of risks and very little reward, those same people that believe that feel that any juvenile that commits murder should be sent to prison with no hope for parole. There are other alternatives as opposed to jail time, but the word of the justice system is law and is also absolute. Juveniles that face murder charges are given very little chance to provide an adequate defense about their actions, murder is murder in accordance to society.
Second Chances, do juveniles murderers deserve them?
Second chances, juveniles who have killed multiple times and have spent a large amount of their time in prison are sometimes bereft of second chances. Many feel that juvenile murderers do not deserve second chances, and many of them maybe right. However, any juvenile as well as any adult can be rehabilitated and actually turn their life around while they are in prison hence getting a chance to be paroled as a result of paying their debt to society for their irresponsible actions.
So, should a juvenile murderer be given a second chance instead of the death penalty or life without parole and the answer is an emphatic yes; every person whether they are a juvenile or an adult should be given a second chance. Incidentally, many are opposed to this because they feel that the juvenile murderer has not paid their debt nor should they be given any chance to prove that they have changed as people as a result of their murderous ways that have cost them the people they love. Adnan Syed deserves a second chance despite those who might believe that he does not.
Second chances are often lost on first time juvenile murderers because people as a whole are unarguably angry about the offense of that juvenile, but juvenile murderers who do commit murders such homicide, aggravated homicide, manslaughter not to mention first degree murder are given second chances anyway. While it is easy to throw a juvenile murderer in jail and throw away the key, this often does not solve the problem completely because the juvenile could die in prison before he or she is given a chance to make up for their actions.
It is without question that some see a second chance as a way for the juvenile criminal to commit another crime or a crime of the same kind or get revenge on the person that sent them to prison, but the truth is far less designed. Nevertheless, juvenile murderers should be given second chances because they are humans who are capable of seeing the error of their ways and repenting for their sins. They are not the lost cause that society believes they are.
The Conclusion
Society has made it too easy for the justice system to lock up juvenile murderers and throw away the key. Incidentally, these juveniles live in a world that would arrest and try them as adults. As a result, some were introduced to the death penalty as a means of getting justice for the family or the spouse who were made victims and that is how a lot of early juvenile murderers were dealt with in justice system. Unarguably, the world and the justice system as a whole do not tolerate unjust murder and the unnecessary killing of innocent bystanders and people. Also, it is worth noting that such crimes do not go unpunished by any means. However, it also means that since the death penalty is seen as cruel and unusual punishment then it stands to reason that they are alternatives to that.
More than 20 years ago, many juveniles got such alternative punishments such as house arrest, juvenile hall, community service (the most popular) and probation to name a few. As previously mentioned, the rate of juvenile murderers have risen and the justice system has found that they need to employ more brutal, for lack of a better word, methods for dealing with these juveniles. It cannot be argued that many juvenile murderers are rehabilitated while they are in prison, some victims of those who were murdered feel that rehabilitation does no good because once a juvenile has spilled blood then there is no turning back or they are beyond reach. There are some who would disagree with this fact, there has been a famous actor as well as a few actresses who spent a little time in prison and managed to turn their life around for the better; all it took was that solitary time alone.
Many have often wondered if a juvenile murderer should be given a second chance, many have voted yes because they are human beings who deserve to have a second chance to do the right thing such as everyone else does. It cannot be argued that families of the victim have begun to recite words of forgiveness for those juvenile murderers who wronged them.
References
Brownsberger, W. (2014, July 7). Sentencing Juveniles for Murder. Retrieved June 4, 2016, from http://willbrownsberger.com/juvenile-first-degree-murder-senate-2246/
Figueroa, A. (2015, October 14). How did these four kids get drastically different punishments for one crime? Retrieved June 4, 2016, from http://fusion.net/story/210411/florida-juveniles-charged-same-crime-different-punishments/
Piven, B. (2014, June 20). To free or not to free: Giving juvenile murderers a second chance. Retrieved June 4, 2016, from http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/ajam-presents-thesystem/articles/2014/6/18/juvenile-life-withoutparole.html
Wallin, M. B., & Klarich, S. (2016). 13 Typical Punishments for Juvenile Offenders. Retrieved June 4, 2016, from https://www.wklaw.com/juvenile-crime/13-punishments-for-juvenile-offenders
Wolf, R. (2016, January 25). Juveniles given life sentences for murder win high court reprieve. Retrieved June 4, 2016, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/01/25/supreme-court-juvenile-murder-mandatory-life-parole/76462446/
