Persuasive essay about why the juvenille justice system isn't harsh enough.

The Juvenile Justice System is not harsh enough...

Did you know that juveniles accounted for almost half the arrests for serious crimes in the United States in 1974 and for less than one-third in 1983? Did you know that recent trends show an increase in arrests of adolescents for murder, assault, and weapon use? The small number of youth who commit the most serious and violent offenses are becoming more and more violent. I found these statistics directly from the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. Statistics show that juveniles are not learning from their mistakes because nothing horrific happens to them. They show that juveniles committing crimes at this time turn out to be the adults in prison for life. More disturbingly, statistics show juveniles are rarely ever completely rehabilitated, which is the number one goal of the Juvenile Justice System.

Some people need more than just a slap on the wrist.

US incarceration timeline

Car belonging to the Florida Dept. of Juvenile Jus...

English: Riverina Juvenile Justice Centre.

Everyone has heard this phrase at least once and it best describes why the Juvenile Justice System is not harsh enough. It is a proven fact that if a person does not get into trouble the first time they do something wrong, they will do it again. In the Juvenile Justice System, juveniles are not penalized for small-time crimes. Police leave it up to the parents to discipline the child, but what if the parents were drunks when they were younger? The violator learns neither lessons nor morals.

Juveniles commit misdemeanors all of the time, but they don't get caught every time. Juveniles fear police officers, when really the police just want to help. Police are no longer jumping at the bit to put kids in jail. Officers of the law simply want to help juveniles out and keep them out of trouble. Police officers think, "Kids...