At what Age Should A Minor Be Tried For a Crime? One of the most disturbing problems to the legal systems of many developed counties is the question of the minimum criminal liability age. In other words, at what age should the person be responsible for any criminal consequences of his or her deeds? The issue is rather complicated, having many social and ethical concerns. We are aware of the criminal behavior among our minors because we read, hear and see it. The television, magazines, radio, and our neighborhoods work as living proof of the existing chaos. More to it, people notice that crime is becoming younger. The availability of alcohol and drugs, growing spread between higher and lower classes of the society, contributes to the overall growth of criminal behavior among children and young adults.
Today children not only steal and use drugs; they also murder and rape. Therefore the review of the minimum age for criminal liability is becoming one of the relevant issues today. The growing number of reports shows that much of the juvenile crime is performed at the age of fourteen to fifteen. At the first sight it seems that the age is inadequate for being charged at the court, and, personally, I am not feeling comfortable with this age but in order to prevent the growth of crime I believe that it would be quite reasonable to set the minimum age at which the minor be tried for a crime to fourteen. For the sake of my own persuasion in this decision I have thought about it for some time and found several supporting reasons. One of them is as stated above.
The Term Paper on Marginal Deterrence Crime Criminal Punishment
The 2002 crime figures for England and Wales comprised of two separate reports, brought together for the first time: (i) Crime statistics recorded by constabularies and (ii) The British Crime Survey (BCS), based on 33, 000 interviews. The BCS is regarded as a more reliable measure of actual levels of crime because it includes experiences of crime that go unreported. The British crime survey of ...
The criminality in our society is getting younger. The person, who is placed in unstable environment, begins to realize the course of actions and accommodate him or herself to the surrounding conditions at the age of twelve. The numerous studies have shown that at this age average human already knows with high percentage of precision the moral rules and traditions of the society. Besides, at this age the person is already familiar with the so-called universal morality, which is thought to be an innate ability of every creature on the earth, either human or not. The person is able to distinct the good and bad, and consciously acts as per own understanding. The second reason for choosing this age is the exposure of the minor (in case of criminal liability) to the same level of responsibility and punishment as adult. For those who do not want to endanger their future it will be a good sign for keeping out.
The adult approach to minors at the age of fourteen will make them more prepared for the future responsibilities of adult living. For example, the ability to start driving the vehicle, which is given to the United States citizens upon their reaching the age of sixteen, is an important decision the US government has decided to make. Being potentially very dangerous, the driving of a car should be addressed with great caution and responsibility. Being well-informed about the criminal responsibility starting at fourteen the person will know what are the consequences of improper observance of the traffic laws. This is one of the examples of how shifting the criminal liability age can assist in the increasing information distribution among the citizens. The other reason for making criminal prosecution age being fourteen is to protect the minors form influence of their criminal peers. People of fourteen years old are very receptive to the external factors.
The Essay on Coming Of Age Poem Reader Person
Coming of age is an important aspect of self-discovery and helps a person with their maturing and understanding of issues in the world. Coming of age is an important part of maturity and getting the most out of life. However the concept of coming of age is sometimes hard to grasp, as no one really knows at which point it should happen, or what it exactly does to somebody. This leaves questions ...
The people at that age look around in search of the best model of behavior. Sometimes they can interpret the criminal behavior as socially acceptable and act accordingly. Therefore the exposure to social misconduct, and more: to crime, must be minimized at virtually all costs. I hope that aforementioned ideas will form at least a basic foundation for the consideration of changing the minimum criminal liability age to fourteen..
