Essay About Juvenile Crime And Recent U.S. News Article

Juvenile Crime
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Juvenile Crime
Juvenile Crime is definitely a major problem in the United States. Juvenile Crime is the term used for
describing offenses committed by children under the age of 18. It is also referred to as Juvenile
Delinquency. Delinquent acts committed by children, would be considered crimes if committed by adults.
The more serious the crime of the juvenile, the more likely they will be tried as adults and receive prison
sentences. Under Anglo-American Law, a crime is an illegal act committed by a person who has criminal
intent. For a long time, it was presumed that children under 14 were unlikely to have criminal intent, but
that is starting to change. In a recent U.S. News article, Ted Gest notes “ The Massachusetts House of
Representatives has voted to require that accused murderers as young as 14 be tried as adults,Oregon, last
year lowered it’s minimum age from 14 to 12, and Wisconsin put it’s at 10”(Gest 30). Many Juvenile
Courts have now discarded of this defense and hav!
e found that delinquent acts can be committed by children of any age.
The number of teenage arrests and crime as a whole is devastating. “One fifth of all persons arrested
for crimes are under 18 years of age,…grossly underreported common offenses include vandalism,
shoplifting, underage drinking, and using marijuana”(Streib 285). Most Juvenile Crime is a group or gang
activity. “Gangs are developed to carry out criminal acts, such as petty thievery and mugging”(Streib 285).
Now, the question is why