Immature Teenagers Charged as Adults

Many teenagers are charged as adults for crimes they’ve committed but are they too immature to be held to the same responsibility as a mature adult?

Neither child nor adult

Youth between the ages of 13 and 18 are called teenagers, but what does that really mean? We don’t consider them a child but they definitely aren’t an adult either. They’re adept to make many decisions for themselves and don’t require constant supervision like their younger peers. While they may seem capable of making wise choices, they are not permitted to make many choices that distinguish adults as able persons such as voting, living on their own (unless emancipated), and having no curfew.

Who’s really at fault?

If we don’t fully trust our teenagers to make adult decisions, should they be charged as adults for crimes? If we see them as incapable of living and behaving as an adult without being under some kind of supervision, perhaps their punishments for crimes that take place while not supervised should reflect that. In that case, who’s really at fault?

Immature brain = immature person

What a lot of it boils down to is the maturity level of the brain. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “the brain doesn’t look like that of an adult until the early 20s.” If our brains don’t visibly look like that of an adult until our 20’s, how can they possible think, act, and behave as such? Not only do you have a brain that is still maturing, there is also a high amount of unsteady hormonal fluctuations during the teen years as well.

Defending a teenager

If teenagers have committed crimes and are being charged as adults, their immaturity could be used toward a strong defense. While some people may be able to plead insanity, teenagers should be able to plead adolescence. If your teenager is facing adult charges, contact a criminal defense attorney to help defend your immature, (incapable of being otherwise treated as an adult) adolescent.