True Notebooks

Should We try Juveniles as Adults?

 
       True Notebook represents the voices of some teenage inmates and talks about their life in the juvenile hall. During the time in Los Angeles’s Central Juvenile Hall, most of the teenagers were charged with murder and waiting to be sentenced. They were tried as adults and going to be sent to adult prison. In the story, the inmates talk about their fears, worries, and dreams inside the jail on Mark Salzman’s writing class. Their writing impressed Salzman as they express their sadness and regrets of facing no future and freedom. These teenagers are not developed with mature minds. They need to learn from what they experienced. We should not destroy their future when they do wrong. From my view point, I think the juvenile justice system is incomplete because it is non-sense to try juveniles as adults because they are still learning at these ages. 

       I don’t think we should try juveniles as adults because I can see that teenagers require encouragements and guidance, but not punishments when they are learning from mistakes. Trying them as adult would make them feel too stressful and desperate about their life. They want someone who cares and listens to them. In True Notebook, Jimmy exclaimed, “who cares if we change now? No body, that’s who,” (Salzman 35). He is sad and doesn’t want to change himself because the society doesn’t accept him. No one would ever think of giving him a second chance once he is labeled as a high-risk offender. Some of them feel unfair because the judge never consider their circumstances. Victor believes that “[the society] don’t know what it’s like when [a teenager] [comes] from a family that [doesn’t] have a father there to guide [him/her] in the right path” (Salzman 290). Young people often commit crimes because of their lack of attentions from families. Another reason is the pressure from gangs. Teenagers from poor families choose to be gang members because they want to be respectful in the society, but the society doesn’t give them a chance to accomplish this. The students in Salzman’s writing class write good essays and behave well because they finally have a way to express themselves, writing. We can see that those young people are not totally ignorant. We should give them one more chance to benefit the society. If we put them into adult prison, they will only be punished without being rehabilitated. No one will ever care or listen to them. They need help and education, but not punishments. The goal of incarcerating juvenile is not only to punish them, but also to help them to reform. We should try to understand their circumstances and reform their minds. If we tried them as adults and punish them, they will not be able to rehabilitate. 

      In addition, they might be influenced by the gangs in the adult prison. According to Jimmy and Francisco, inmates would be discriminated when they were sent to the adult prison if they did not fight for their gangs’ rights. This would force them emerge in deviant behaviors even if they don’t want to do it. They could not “become better people if [they couldn’t] have any normal friendships, any normal conversations, any control over what happens to [them]” (Salzman 100). We do need to put them in a safe position to accomplish the goal of rehabilitating them. Moreover, many teenagers would just accept what they see rather than thinking, so adults might become their role models. Fights happen in adult prison frequently. When they see one succumbs to the greater physical abilities of the other. They might internalize the concept that being tough and showing nerve are the ways to protect themselves. Therefore, they might imitate how the gangs fight by socialization. Since the “good” way to protect themselves from being bullied in jail is to care nothing and be a good person. Some of them might become emotionless or introverted. This wouldn’t be a good consequence either. 

       Also, most teenagers would lose the skill to survive in the society when they are incarcerated without education for a long time. They will waste a lot of time in the jail and miss their life on the “outs.” Jimmy believes his life is over because he is in jail and time could not be flipped back. When they are released from jail, they are almost 30, or even older. Every person needs help from socialization at these ages. However, the education systems in the adult jail are less organized than schools. While being incarcerated for too long without communication to the wider society, they might lose the chances to learn and study. They do not experience any new things and “[do] the same routine every day,” (Salzman 318). As they waste their time in jails, they have no experiences of getting involved in the society. They would not have the ability to survive in this society even if they are talented. Like a character in the book, Patrick, he would like to be an animator; however, he cannot learn any professional animating skills in jail. Even though he might be talented in drawing, his dream would not come true. He knows that “if [he] [loses] [his] case, the animator thing is not going to happen” (Salzman 91). If he needs to stay be incarcerated much longer, he will not have time or ability to reach his goal even if he is released. Therefore, juveniles should not be tried as adults and locked up to stay away from the society for too long. Otherwise, many teenagers’ future will be destroyed and they will never have a chance to bring talent into full play. 

       Lacking of freedom might influence young people mentally. Youth in juvenile halls have freedom to meet friends and speak in the class even though they are locked up. Just like what Francisco think about he and his friends’ life in the juvenile hall, “society can take away [their] physical freedom, but [they] still got spiritual freedom,” (Salzman 200). They have the right to express their feelings in the writing class. Their writing and conversations can have cusswords. It shows that there are not too many limitations when they speak and write in the writing class. Salzman also helps them to find out their “real” selves through the writing program. They get a chance to apologize to their parents and confess to their mistakes. It proves that juveniles can rehabilitate with certain freedom. In contrast, there are more limitations exist in adult prisons. The inmates are less friendly than those in juvenile halls. Inmates can hardly have friendships like the students in Salzman’s writing class do. Just like what Jose have said in the class: “You got black guys and Asian guys and Martinez and me in here and we get along fine. As soon as we get to the pen, that’s gonna end. It ain’t possible here” (Salzman 241). Friendship is important to teenagers because they can share their voices to their friends. If young people were put into adult prisons and does not have counseling or friendships, they might become more introverted or even suffer from autism. Besides, they would never have privacy in adult prison. “The staff even watches [them] when [they] take a shit” (Salzman 50). They are monitored every moment. Teenagers might feel stressful and some of them even think of committing suicide. 

       When teenagers get wrong, they have to stay away with their family and friends, and need to be punished by the sorrow, loneness and pain. Just like the story in Francisco’s essay, they are the angels which collided with the devils and lost their energy are getting lost in their life. They are now in juvenile hall and lose their freedom, but they are going to get their energy back and “strike the devil with [their] wings and send [the devil] to heaven,” (Salzman 53). They will be able to reform with encouragements and become good. Everyone makes mistakes, including teenagers. When people are in young ages, they often act without considering the consequences. In my opinion, they should be treated encouragements and support, but not punishment of being tried as adults. The judge should not take away their future for the only one mistake they have made.






Reflection
In this topic, I have understood more about the young people life in the juvenile hall and how young people are important to the society. Although I have not gone into juvenile hall, I do think young people should not be treated as adults do. The reason is they can be talents in this society and their psychological minds are weaker than adults’.
For a reader or writer, I do interested in this topic and I have research many information about the life in the juvenile hall besides the book. I made great points about juvenile justice and my main point is strong. My essay structure has been improved a lot since this is the essay I have worked so hard.