Non-Fiction Response On An "Upfront Magazine" Article

       The article, Rethinking Juvenile Justice by John Schwartz is about how tough the court system makes life for teens. Teens/ Juvenile offenders are being charged with adult charges and it has become really hard on them. This may or may not result in teens having second thoughts when committing crimes. Around 25 states have changed their laws to keep juveniles separated from the adult system. Juveniles that are being charged as adults, have taken it to the extreme to attempt and/or commit suicide. 

       James Stewart was a 17 year old who was caught in the act of drunk driving in the year of 2008 when he crashed into the vehicle in front of him and killed the driver. The intention of his arrest was to simply be placed with other juveniles, but attorney's had decided to charge him as an adult. He was left alone in his cell in the county jail, when he killed himself by wrapping the bedsheets tightly around his neck. His death, along with another young adult had caused the state of Colorado to change their law and decide to slim it down to who was charged which way and placed into what type of jail. People have begun to think of how they treat juvenile criminal offenders, because they've realized how different they are from being adults. Scientific research has shown that the brains of teenagers differ from the adult brains, because they have not fully developed. According to scientist, the part of the brain that guides impulse control and weighs risks instead of rewarding it, has not fully matured. Research has also shown that the actions that take place during the ages of 13 to 14, are poor indications of the type of a adult the child will become later on in life. According to Laurence Steinberg, 90% of teen offenders do not become adult criminals. Which is why most people agree that teens shouldn't be charged with adult charges. 

       I think the author wants readers to understand that even though these crimes are committed by teens, not everyone is being let off easily. Which brings the problem of cruel crimes like murder and rape. It's not okay to be let off easily if you commit a crime like this. When you commit crimes like these you receive one of the following two punishments. They are the death penalty and life without parole. I think the author wants me to know and understand that committing crimes isn't okay and they deserve punishments, they just all differ according to the crime being committed. It's not okay to just commit a crime and think it's okay because you won't be as harshly charged as an adult would. 

       After reading this article I've changed my views on people who commit crimes. I find that nowadays some people think it's cool to just commit crimes. Crimes such as stealing and selling drugs. Some even think it's cool to say that they've been locked up but it wasn't "a big deal." People who say things like that make it seems like its okay to commit a crime and thats it's something cool to do nowadays, but it isn't. Once you commit a crime more than once, the consequences become worse. You receive months in jail and those months turn into years and those years slowly become life sentences right before you know it. And this makes me have a lot of sympathy for people who are framed for crimes that they didn't do. Families lose their loved ones because of things like this. Innocent people have to suffer because of crimes they don't even do. All in all, crimes are being committed on a daily basis and people are still trying to figure out how to handle them. 




Works Cited : 
Schwartz, John. "Rethinking Juvenile Justice." The New York Times Upfront 9 Dec. 2103: 8-11. Print.