Age Of Juveniles In The State Of Florida

Age of Juveniles in the state of Florida

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Age of Juveniles in the state of Florida

Introduction

According to the Florida law, a juvenile is the one who is eighteen years old, as outlined in $958.04 of the Florida Statutes of 2016. The age limit serves as a standard of measurement that could guide the criminal justice system in giving punishments in different crimes. According to the information collected from the juvenile court jurisdiction, it is found that the age of the young person who comes within the jurisdiction of the states’ juvenile courts is eighteen years. A juvenile is defined and explained by the state law in Florida as satisfying some characteristics (Guarino-Ghezzi, et al.,2017). According to state law, there is no age specified by the statutes of law, asserting any age at which youth can be adjudicated delinquent (Guarino-Ghezzi, et al.,2017). Moreover, juvenile courts have jurisdiction over the offences that are allegedly before the 18 birthdays of the youth because after 18 years the youth would be charged in an adult court. In numerous circumstance, the juvenile court retains jurisdiction over the youth until the age of 19 where the court can retain jurisdiction over youth who is ordered to pay restitution (Guarino-Ghezzi, et al.,2017). Adhering to these conditions, many of the people think that 18 years is justified being juvenile age while other negate and reject it.

Discussion

In accordance with the ideologies and concepts that highlight juvenile age should be increased assert that there is no strong ground to understand that an 18 year is convicted to some serious crime and have to spend life in prison (Hay, et al.,2018). According to professor Stetson, juvenile age should be increased to nineteen years or more because the connotation of juvenile represents an individual who is well aware of his actions, have strong cognition skills and psychology has proven that an eighteen-year-old is not well aware of his actions (Hay, et al.,2018). Such age is more directed by the influence of instincts and stimuli (Hay, et al.,2018). In response, the critics in favour of the juvenile age to be eighteen years question crime control because the punishment and treatment of eighteen years old after committing a crime is the crux that plays a significant role in decreasing the crime rate (Hay, et al.,2018). According to WMNF’s one of the representative, “there are a lot of us who caught life sentence between the age of 18 and 21 and then we grew up in prison, that condition our brain to be more criminal and negative cognition oriented a compared to the other people who are not given sentence of imprisonment” (Hay, et al.,2018).

The critics who want juvenile age to be increased up to 19 years or more assert that giving juvenile punishment to an eighteen-year individual will results in extreme and violent youth who would be directed by internal aggression because they will spend the most beautiful phase of their life in prison. It will deprive them of the exegetical approach towards life. It is important to note that the people who think eighteen years is well suited for considering an individual juvenile assert that the best way to control crime is to program mindset at the onset of negative thoughts and the most efficient tool that can keep an individual from undergoing criminal acts would be fear of punishment (Lane, et al.,2018). Massive accountability and, frequent checking can make an individual refrain from acts that can distort future life because juvenile crimes have a small orientation, they start from peers and then proceed towards larger crime (Lane, et al.,2018).

Critics asserted that a psychological and sociological approach towards the analysis of juvenile age was analyzed by using a control group and the results illustrate that there was a massive decrease in the attempts of crimes and thoughts that can redirect criminal activities (Lane, et al.,2018). It is found that the practical implication of this approach is found in Chicago, where the age of juvenile is eighteen and by the time of declaration of eighteen years as juvenile age, there is a 24% decrease in the crime rates. In contrast, the people who believe juvenile age should be increased, are found adhering to the prospects of the criminal acts taking into account that threatening an individual would make them find out alternate ways that could prove even more dangerous in future (Tisdale, et al.,2019). Moreover, the prison will psychologically condition juveniles to take revenge from society and it may result in something devastating. The critics of eighteen years as juvenile age are found stuck to the strong grounds of social reforms because they find human beings as variables who can be reformed by making them realize significance of life and freedom while others believe that juvenile age should be increased because it is hard for an eighteen-year-old child to face the trauma of imprisonment because they are not mentally strong (Tisdale, et al.,2019).

Conclusion

Analyzing two sides regarding juvenile age in Florida, it can be found that the critic in favour of subject asserts social ideologies and critical future prospects that can mitigate the crime rate. The opponents find eighteen years of age as a threat to “child psychology” and “philosophical approaches” that find youth as beings who are more towards reaction and aggression to the unwanted stimuli (legal enforcements) because they are not mature enough to understand long term objectives (Tisdale, et al.,2019). In a nutshell, the arguments are two equal and opposite sides that are bisecting each other without the flexibility to reconstruct compromise and understanding.

Reference

Guarino-Ghezzi, S. (2017). Balancing juvenile justice. Routledge.

Hay, C., Ladwig, S., & Campion, B. (2018). Tracing the rise of evidence-based juvenile justice in Florida. Victims & Offenders, 13(3), 312-335.

Lane, J. (2018). Addressing Juvenile Crime: What Have We Learned, and How Should We Proceed?. Criminology & Public Policy, 17(2), 283-307.

Tisdale, A. (2019). The Effects of Incarceration on Juveniles in Prison and During Reentry.