Crime is terrible and needs to be stopped but, do you really think that it’s okay to send a child to a prison filled with older criminals ?
Well that was the case for Lionel Tate who was convicted for first-degree murder of six-year-old Tiffany Eunick in Broward County, Florida. Tate was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being tried as an adult. Also, Adrian Gonzalez, a 15-year-old from Santa Cruz, who was tried as an adult for murder and sexual assault.
Was that trial fair to them as they are juveniles?
The question is being debated since people have different opinions on the subject but reformers of juvenile sentencing say that a younger person’s brain is not fully developed.
Peter A. Weir, a prosecutor in Colorado notes: “Reform experts tell us that three-quarters of adolescents lack the decision-making abilities of adults, thus only one-quarter of juveniles can function in an adult manner.” In the end the result of a monstrous crime remains the same if we keep prosecuting juveniles as adults.
Instead we should focus more on trying to fix their mistakes and helping them. The juvenile prison system can help children turn their lives around; rehabilitation gives them a second chance and it’s a lot better and more effective. UAE resident,
Omar Karmustaji, a leading juvenile judge and former police officer believes that sentences such as rehabilitation center assignment, compulsory community work and bans on visiting specific places or engaging in certain activities would be a better punishment for juvenile offenders since it is an effective deterrent.
Family, schools and media should unite to prevent juvenile delinquency. Kramustaji said: “Parents should always know their children better and who their friends are.” According to him, parents also need to take more responsibility for their children, befriend them and embrace them to overcome their issues instead of giving up on them. The same applies to schools and media - they should be educating children about the consequences of crimes.
Abdullah Al Awadi, a consultant at the government-run National Human Resources Development and Recruitment Authority, suggests that we should create organisations that launch sport, cultural and also social activities so that it take up a teenager’s time instead of being exposed to anti-social activities.
If you want to help your own child, you can find more information on the topic on www.zho.ae, the official website of Juvenile Care Centre in Abu Dhabi.
The writer is a media student at the Sharjah Higher College of Technology
The International Government Communication Forum IGCF), held in Sharjah, is an annual forum that shares global best practices in fields of government communication and aims to build a platform for better communication between governments and their citizens. This column is a collaborative effort with Gulf News featuring work by UAE-based students
as part of that initiative.
