Help with peer responding to classmates discussion post

Do you think we should close juvenile prisons? If so, what alternatives would you recommend?

I do not believe closing juvenile prisons would be a good idea as far as the institutions themselves I do believe better officer training should be implemented in these prisons, as well as more resources should be available to the juveniles incarcerated in them. The reason I believe these prisons should still exist is because if we get rid of them that's how conditioning theory will be present in these youth; if we do not offer a punishment and only provide rehabilitations it will condition the minds of the youth that no matter their actions no real punishment will come of it leaving their criminal behaviors to get worse.

Do you agree with the U.S. Supreme Court decision that juveniles 17 or under should not be sentenced to life?

Life sentences are not beneficial for juveniles to be punished with; this does not accomplish the same objective as it does for adults. This punishment should only be applied to adults who commit these crimes under full knowledge of their actions and outcomes. With youth still being impulsive in nature and often not fully understanding the potential outcomes of their actions, a life sentence does not give them the necessary attempt at adulthood. However, I do agree with lengthy sentences and supervised probation after they have served their time. This type of punishment although not as harsh draws similarities to youths being subjected to the death penalty, this punishment seems also violate the 8^th amendment being cruel and unusual.

Juveniles constitute 1,200 of the 1.5 million people housed in federal and state prisons in this country, and nearly 200,000 youth enter the adult criminal-justice system each year, most for non-violent crimes, do you agree this is an effective practice in reducing juvenile crime and rehabilitating them?

I do not agree with waiving juvenile offenders for nonviolent crimes. This strict punishment for nonviolent behavior is extreme; it also does not identify or resolve the root cause of these youth committing these crimes. Nonviolent crimes should go through mandatory drug and psychological evaluations, depending on the results of both either being sent to a drug program and/or counseling. If both come results show no identified reason a mandatory community program for a minimum of 6 months.