Topic: Young people who commit serious crimes should be punished in the same way as adults. Do you agree or disagree?
People have different views concerning the question of how to tackle serious juvenile crime. While it is sometimes argued that immature offenders should be punished in the same way as mature ones, I, to some extent, disagree with this opinion.
On the one hand, it is believed that all dangerous crime should be solved by heavy punishment, no matter who are the convicts. It is true that juvenile delinquency is an alarming issue these days, and severe punishment can act as a deterrent to those who intend to commit a crime. Furthermore, when young wrongdoers only receive lenient sentences compared to adult offenders, they may not acknowledge of their unlawful behaviours and adverse consequences, and thus they may re-offend. This may put the life of innocent individuals in jeopardy and pose a threat to society as a whole.
On the other hand, I am much more convinced that it is advisable to treat juvenile criminals in a different way in comparison with the mature ones. Firstly, the young are not sufficiently educated, which means that it is unjustified for them to receive the same punishment as the adults. Some children break the law just because they mimic the behaviours of adults, or they are forced to do so. In addition, there are other useful forms of punishments. For example, young offenders should be sent to rehabilitation centers where they will be educated and trained properly. Another method is forcing them to do unpaid community service. These punishments may not only help immature lawbreakers realize their unacceptable behaviours but also give them a chance to make a contribution to local communities.
In conclusion, for the reasons mentioned above, I believe that young convicts should not serve similar penalties as adults do