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Should Teens Be Tried As Adults MAG

By Anonymous

   Should teenagers be tried as adults? Opinions differ. Some people argue that teenagers don't know what they are doing when they commit a crime and are still too young to comprehend what is right and wrong. I totally disagree. I am old enough to know that committing a crime is wrong and that if I commit one, I will be punished. Anyone who says teens can't tell right from wrong is either too old to remember what being a teenager is like or they are a teenager who has committed a crime and don't want to be tried as an adult. In either case, they are wrong. All teens know that killing is wrong, yet they do it anyway and get away with a light sentence because of their age. Even if a teen didn't know it was wrong, it doesn't mean it's right. They should still be punished. If they aren't, they willthink that crimes are okay and continue to commit them.

Teens today don't fear the law because they don't think they will get caught. And if they do, they know they have a good chance of getting off because they are tried as teens and not adults. We have to get tougher on crime. There should be a law that everyone over eleven years old will be tried as adults. That way more teens would be discouraged from committing crimes. They would know that murder would get them a very long sentence instead of staying in juvenile hall until they are eighteen. If we want to cut down on teen crime, we have to have tougher laws. ?




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This article has 323 comments.

the rook said...
on Mar. 5 2011 at 10:27 am
really? I always thought the death penalty was a little harsh, even for mass murderers. I'm not saying that they don't deserve it, but if we turn around and kill them, are we really better than them? What if they were mentally ill when they committed the crimes, what if they were actually uncable of remorse. I don't know it's just my opinion though, i feel like anyone who needs to kill people to feel powerful is sad, and killing them would just brush the problems aside
ang365231 said...
on Mar. 3 2011 at 3:01 pm
Well, I think that they SHOULD be.... but not as kids ._.! Like, if you were a kid that shot ur mom.. u should go to juviniel(yes... idk how to spell :PP) THEN at age, lets just say... 21 yrs. old, u should be going to jail. I dont know... its my opinion :D
bhjevjk said...
on Feb. 28 2011 at 10:42 pm

yes i think they should be punisht because there no good people shut up nooobs

 

chicken-nuggets3345 said...
on Feb. 14 2011 at 8:56 am
kids/teens should only be tried as adults when it comes to murder.. if you ask me anyone who can murder should be more than happy to receve the death penalty..
chicken-nuggets3354 said...
on Feb. 14 2011 at 8:52 am
chickens should be given rights too!!!
leafy said...
on Feb. 11 2011 at 9:32 pm
leafy, City, Other
0 articles 0 photos 682 comments

Favorite Quote:
Gil: I would like you to read my novel and get your opinion.&nbsp;<br /> Ernest Hemingway: I hate it.&nbsp;<br /> Gil: You haven&#039;t even read it yet.&nbsp;<br /> Ernest Hemingway: If it&#039;s bad, I&#039;ll hate it. If it&#039;s good, then I&#039;ll be envious and hate it even more. You don&#039;t want the opinion of another writer.&nbsp;

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ok please, if you're trying to write an essay, make it at least 3 paragraphs. 5 or more is the best, but at least five. but you do prove some good points (even if i dont agree with all of them, but i won't go on about that). but in all honesty, i don't know why this piece is in the magazine.
smartkid said...
on Feb. 4 2011 at 10:08 am
Dude.. you spelled "whether" wrong too....
yourmother said...
on Feb. 1 2011 at 1:52 pm
hahahahah i was like wow this comment looks familiar
ohsnap :P said...
on Feb. 1 2011 at 10:30 am
haha i <3 you....creeper staus O.o
ohsnap :P said...
on Feb. 1 2011 at 10:29 am
wow....you spelt whether wrong :P
llamas4hats said...
on Feb. 1 2011 at 10:26 am
you spelled wether wrong.
bnljack said...
on Jan. 25 2011 at 11:14 pm
bnljack, Vienna, Virginia
0 articles 0 photos 6 comments
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weather we know what were doing or not, (which we do) is irrelivant. we cant vote, drink, smoke, marry, own property, or sign a contract, because "were too young". if we were tried as adults that would be a huge double standard
Bookdragon GOLD said...
on Jan. 20 2011 at 10:58 pm
Bookdragon GOLD, Mona, Utah
11 articles 6 photos 22 comments

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By Endurance We Conquer ~Ernest Shackleton

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Haha... you are an LD debator, aren't you? If so, I think I would enjoy running my Neg case against you.  If not, you can ignore this post :D
NicoleS PLATINUM said...
on Jan. 20 2011 at 3:39 pm
NicoleS PLATINUM, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
21 articles 0 photos 46 comments

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If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that&#039;s his problem. Love and peace are eternal. <br /> - John Lennon

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i think you're absolutely right in saying that teenagers DO know right from wrong and they know that killing people is wrong, but i dont think that teens should be tried as adults.

i dont think a mistake someone makes as a teenager should ruin their entire lives. kids make mistakes, yes, sometimes monumental mistakes, but they should get a chance to redeem themselves. being tried as a minor and receiving a less severe punishment would allow for a teenager to get his or her life back in order after the fact

besides, someone could argue that a 10 year old knows that killing is bad, but that doesnt mean a 10 year old should spend life in prison with dangerous inmates! the line between minors and adults needs to be drawn somewhere, and i think 18 is a good age, because thats generally the age kids become "adults"- they move out, go to college, etc. so no, i dont think teens should be tried as adults.

TheMesserSandman said...
on Jan. 20 2011 at 12:15 am
TheMesserSandman, West Chester, Pennsylvania
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A good piece, but I find that the title is somewhat of a fallacy.
Glammie<3girl said...
on Jan. 19 2011 at 12:45 pm
I completley agree with this topic but 11 years old is way to young but we no what we are doing when we commit a crime say our brains are not devoloped yet is just an excuse to get out of it! We have so much fun doing terrible things because we know our young age can get us out of almost anything so this topic gets a thumbs up for me.
Emo_Kitty724 said...
on Jan. 16 2011 at 6:47 pm
I totally agree with this. Just because they arent that old, it shouldnt me that they wont get tried as an adult. ^_^
8393929 said...
on Jan. 10 2011 at 9:27 am
hey i am doing a project for debate and i need to know what the writer of this paper does for a living....not too personal just like maybe a teacher...plz respond i need it for my project
whatareyousaying said...
on Jan. 7 2011 at 3:39 am
you dont make any sense in your statement
dk95 said...
on Jan. 6 2011 at 6:58 pm
I completely agree with this article. All teens know what is right and what is wrong. If someone does something really bad like killing someone then they should be tried as an adult. the onlt thing I dissagree with is that they should  be tried as an adult when they are 11 years old. I dont think they could mentaly handle that but if they are 14 or older I say try them as an adult! if they are mentaly capable of killing someone then they are deffinitely able to handle prison.