Government policies often neglect that contact with criminal justice system can alter young people's prospects. Having a criminal record can make finding a job very difficult, which can cause the adolescents to keep offending.
Britain should have a system like Germany, where courts assign 18-to 21-year-olds to either juvenile or adult sentences based on how mature the individual is in stead of what their chronological age is. This way makes sure that the way someone is treated in court does not change over night when the offender becomes 18 years old.
Over 70% of adults for the Transition to Adulthood Alliance finds that emotional and psychological maturity should be taken into account by the courts when dealing with a young person.
Original article:
---http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepublic/2011/mar/02/young-offenders-criminal-justice-system
My take on this:
Germany is on the right track in my opinion. I think it's way too static, and unjust, to have a 17-year-old murderer get a mucht lighter sentence than an 18-year-old murderer even if they committed the exact same crimes! State of mind, level of maturity and chronological age should all be looked into and taken into account when sentencing a young criminal.
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