It is true that the number of teenage offenders has increased over the past decade. In this day and age, there is a belief that adolescents committing severe crimes, namely robbery and assaulting, ought to be in charged for their crimes in the same way as an adult. As far as I am concerned, I agree with this statement to a certain degree.
On one hand, punishing children in the same way as adult has a crucial role to play in the development of society. Initially, if the judge treats young people and adults equally, children may face jail sentences for up to ten years; therefore, it may prevent them from performing unlawful activities. The regulations in China can exemplify for this situation, children are treated like adults in the nations. As a result, the number of teenage criminals in the nations is low compared to other countries, benefitting the future generation. Furthermore, society would become fairer as well. In the past, children were protected by the government; hence, they were able to perform what they wanted. In contrast, they have to take full responsibility for their actions nowadays. For example, when a child commits a murder, they will be treated like an adult; therefore, society will become fairer.
On the other hand, there are some drawbacks to this development. First of all, some children are not sensible enough to envisage and forecast the consequences of their actions; hence, they commit crimes as a way to express their feelings. For instance, schoolwork and assignments may make them stressed. As a result, they tend to resort to crimes such as stealing and violent attacks with a view to unwinding.
In conclusion, I would argue that young people should be punished like adults.