In today’s fast-paced world, it is contended that young people involved in criminal acts should face the same consequences as adult criminals. While getting punished as strictly as adults can deter young people from engaging in criminal activities, I contend that it traumatizes adolescents, as teenagers are less mature and fail to understand the consequences of their actions. Therefore, I disagree with the provided statement.
First and foremost, the majority of young people turn to crime after being toughly punished. To provide further explanation, not only do young people, provided that they are punished the same way as adult criminals, tend to become desperate, which raises the likelihood of them re-offending, but they also become marginalized by society, thereby reducing their chances of successful reintegration For instance, it is often reported that in China, one of the countries with a high rate of young people committing crimes, juveniles, due to failed re-integration with their peers after release, prone to engaging in criminal activities. Therefore, receiving the same punishment as adults is detrimental for both society and young people themselves.
Secondly, imposing adult-level punishment on young people is morally wrong, and it leads to severe psychological consequences, as they are not physically and emotionally mature enough to bear those kinds of penalties. To clarify, not only do juveniles, since they are still mentally developing, tend to become traumatized when subjected harsh punishment, thereby facing mental health problems, but they also find it difficult to recover after such experience, which hinders personal development. For example, it is frequently reported that in the US, one of the countries where juvenile offenders face serious punishments, the majority of young criminals, due to harsh penalties, tend to experience psychological distress. Therefore, young offenders’ emotional state deteriorates, which intensifies the process of recovering