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The new young offenders act is coming into effect and like
many other people I have mixed emotions on it. The act has become
harsher on young people.
I agree with the act when in says that violent crimes should
not go unpunished no matter how old some one is. That isn't right
in every case. Just because someone commits a crime it doesn't
mean that they understand the severity of the crime and young
offenders don't always understand the consequences of their actions.
Young offenders are not always able to judge what is right
from wrong. Even though they are the age of 13-18, do they always
know what is right or wrong? A kid finds out what is right or
wrong from their parents and the environment he or she grows
up in. So you can't judge a child for the way he was brought
up. It's the parents that should be judged.
That isn't the way everyone thinks. They think that a kid
should be punished no matter how he or she was brought up. Kids
are going through a lot of changes and a lot of things can happen
to a kid and are they able to notice the difference between good
and bad.
Is it wrong if a kid goes out and steals some food because
he or she is hungry and their parents can't afford to feed them?
From the age of 13 to 18, kids go through a lot of strange
changes and it is really hard to just do what is right. Kids
are put through a lot of peer pressure from their friends and
other kids. If a kid is dared to break into an empty house by
his other friends, he probably doesn't realize that he can get
caught and get in to a lot of trouble. When you're that young,
you're not going to back down on a dare because then all of your
friends are going to make fun of you and tease you for not doing
it.
I have two opinions on this new act. I think its good and
bad. Kids are kids but no matter how old you are if you kill
or seriously hurt someone you deserve to be punished. We all
should be judged under the same law if we kill someone -- we
go to jail and that's it.
Young offenders are judged different because they are different.
They are younger, less experienced in life situations and can
not always understand what they do. The new act seems like it
is trying to put everyone under the same law but is that right?
Should we do that? Should we just send a kid to jail that really
doesn't understand what he or she has done?
I think that at a young offender should be rehabilitated before
he or she is sent to jail but if the crime is repeated they should
have to do their time. At this age, kids should be given at least
on chance before they should go to jail. But if it is a serious
crime they should be punished. |
