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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 5 page paper analyzes and critiques this September, 2000 New York Times article by Margaret Talbot. The author takes the position that today's criminal justice system is too hard on juveniles. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: RT13_SA043max.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
quote from Frances Gray: "I was a public defender in Virginia for a while, and I sometimes had to work in the juvenile court there, and I hated it --
the wishy-washiness of it, the endless hearings. Now, here I am dealing with kids where they were never meant to be, in criminal court, where none of us are prepared
to deal with them. And I would give my front teeth -- my front teeth -- to have a situation where there wasnt a final disposition, where you werent sealing
some kids fate forever " (2000, p.PG). That moving quote gives one a gist of the entire article, which contains a great deal of similar rhetoric. The concept behind the
article is that children should be treated like children. They are in fact not adults and cannot make adult decisions. Therefore, putting them away for long periods of time, no
matter what they have done, is not good for them or for society. The piece begins with the sad tale of Jefferson Alexander Stackhouse who had been through many foster
homes after having been abandoned by a schizophrenic mother. While his final foster family tried to give him a good life, he nevertheless would end up in trouble. He would
be arrested, even though he was portrayed as basically a good kid. Jeff is a case study that commences this article which tugs at the heart strings of every reader.
The author, after relaying the case, explains that Jeff was born into a time and place that unfortunately treats juveniles and adults pretty much the same. The author goes on
to quote statistics, stating that 45 states since 1995 have toughened laws so children could be prosecuted as adults. She goes on to say that while judges always had discretion
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