Do you remember when you were thirteen? Do you remember how sometimes you made wrong decisions with out thinking about what you were doing? Were you punished, but no one told you there was a different way to make that decision? Were you offered a second chance to show that you could make the right decision? Many children today have made extremely bad decisions without thinking. Most of them are not given the chance to change. People think that the best punishment is to send them to jail with other criminals. I believe this is not the way to change children. If I child commits a crime not matter how horrid they should have a second chance through rehabilitation. I believe that children should not be tired as adults they should be tried like the minors they are.
Minors should not be sent to jail because they are not the same as adults. When a minor commits a crime, they know it is wrong it is their natural instinct to know right from wrong, “but as a child their brains are not wired the same” (Hendricks 1). Children do not think things out like adults do; they act on a spur of the moment. They don’t think through their punishment of committing a crime. If a child goes into a candy store and see candy they are most likely going to want some candy. Their first instinct is to take some candy but do they really think I will end up in a police office in a few hours. When a child commits a bigger crime like murder does that child really know that he could really end up with older abusive men in jails. The child knows that it is wrong but they do not think they would be sent to jail. After committing these crimes though some judges think that putting these children in jail is the way to change them. When really sending children to jail doesn’t help them. When children are sent to jail “they usually come out more dangerous and abused than when they went into jail” (Hendricks 1). They reason the come out more abused and dangerous is because they are in jail with adults and massive criminals. These criminals are usually older and have committed many crimes and are more dangerous, and there are you children in there with them. These children are not able to stand up to for themselves against these older criminals and learn the horrible ways of crime. Then when they are released and the judges think that they are not as much of a threat because they were sent to jail, but now they are even more a threat. They have been abused hurt and have learned they ways of the older criminals. So now when they are let back on the streets they are just like the older criminal they know even worse ways after going to jail. The alternative for going to jail would be rehabilitation. Evidence shows that “… criminals were once juveniles. It proved just the delinquency of a juvenile, if it is not addressed early, it may lead to some dangerous problems” (http://www.rehabilitations.org/juvenile-rehabilitation.html). Most of the criminals that we have today were once juvenile delinquents. Most of these juvenile delinquents were probably just sent to jail with out the chance of changing through rehabilitation. Therefore when they came out of jail they were angry abusive and more threatening to our society because they were abused in jail. Therefore just sending them to jail doesn’t give them the chance to change. Where in rehabilitation they “are to correct their misdemeanor tendencies, so that they can not become the threats for the society… but also they are taught to take part in various personality improvement schemes, and other programs” (http://www.rehabilitations.org/juvenile-rehabilitation.html). Rehabilitation is a way to help them grow into a better person. It takes their wrongs and tries to make their wrongs right. Rehabilitation helps them see what right choices are. It gives them a little piece of what their future could be like but with out making them more dangers like jail would.

Other might argue that rehabilitation doesn’t work. Which it may not because it is said to be an art not a science. Which means that it might work form some delinquents but the same process might not work for other delinquents. Even though it may not work for everyone it is a proven fact that if rehabilitation is done when a child is young “then there is a greater chance that he will not do wrong again. Likewise the cases of juveniles as well as adult criminals will be decreased” (http://www.rehabilitations.org/juvenile-rehabilitation.htm). If we take the chance of rehabilitation working then we are saving out community in the long run. If you think about if children come out of jail more dangerous than when they went into jail. Do we really want those more dangerous criminals on our streets? Or do we want to take a chance with a child who has been through rehabilitations and who has been shown the right things and the right decisions to make in life.
One might also argue that a child would know right form wrong. A child does know right from wrong but they may know not to watch television to long or to eat their vegetables, but have they ever been told not to kill someone of not to steal form somewhere. They know right from wrong but they only know little things, and their morals are not fully developed. Most children have never heard this word or don’t know what it is. If they have no ideal what morals are then they don’t know a good morals or a bad morals. Also when they are not born with the knowing of not to steal not to hit someone or even not to murder. They know that committing a crime is wrong, “but their brains are not fully developed… they are not able to think things through like adults are able to” (Hendricks 1). Adults have a greater knowledge than any child. They have been through more experienced had a longer time to live and have been through many trial and errors. They have seen the news and see what happens when murder is committed. A child has not lived as long and doesn’t have the same knowledge that most adults have. Most people also think that when a child is sent to jail there is justice for the family. Sure there is justice for a family in any case when a child goes to jail. Most parents only look at the present though and don’t see what could become of a minor in jail. It is a proven fact that “minors come out more abused than when they went into jail. This means that when they come out they are even more dangerous and more likely to commit a crime in the future. If you were a parent would you want to take a chance with rehabilitation, which is proven to work, or would you want to send the minor to jail and have them become more dangerous and when they come out be a major threat to our society.

Children should be children. They are not the same as adults “their minds are wired differently” and they are not “able to think things through” (Hendricks 1). When judges think that they are the same as adults and send them to jail they come out beaten and worse than they were going into jail. Rehabilitation is the only of say way that can help minors change their ways. Rehabilitation is the only way to keep our society safe also if they are treated now they will not be as dangerous as when they come out of jail. Instead of being sent to jail where minors can become more dangerous and be abused they should get the second chance with rehabilitation, which is where “children who are looking for a good future will get a great help” (http://www.rehabilitations.org/juvenile-rehabilitation.htm).