Final Inquiry-Based Research Project (100)

 Skylah Nix

ENG 101 Section FY20

Prof. Matayakubova

Adult Prison with Kids Inside It?

How would you react if you saw a young teen in an adult prison like Rikers Island? Would you feel shocked, angry, surprised, or happy? For a long time teens and kids who commit crimes go to facilities and juvenile detention until they get their act together. They were never allowed to go to adult prison. That was until the case of Nathaniel Abraham who in 1999 was the first boy to get sentenced to adult prison for second degree murder. He was only 11 years old when he committed murder was tried as an adult. This case changed the history and sparked controversy on if it's ethical to send kids and teens to adult prison. A large amount of society believes that kids shouldn’t be sentenced to adult prison because they are young, and it sounds inhumane. However, some people believe that kids and teens who commit crimes should go to adult prison because if they do the crime then they serve the time. They believe that age shouldn’t be used as an excuse for the crimes they committed. I think that teens who commit crimes shouldn't be sentenced to adult prison. Going to an adult prison that young can badly alter their mind. There should be more programs to help kids who commit crimes and more positive police involvement to help keep teens off the streets and from doing crime. 

Adult prison is a facility where men and women aged 18 and above “are kept as punishment for a crime they have committed, or while they are awaiting trial.” (Oxford English Dictionary Outline 2023) When a person who is 18 years and above commits a crime they go to trial where they get sentenced. If they get a sentence of 2 years and above, they go to prison until their sentence is complete. Men and women in prison are kept in separate locations and they have to follow very strict rules that if not followed are faced with punishment. Guards and even inmates face verbal abuse, physical abuse, and unhealthy living conditions. 

The first prison to ever be created was the Massachusetts State Prison that opened in 1785 which was just after the American Revolution. The first case that sparked controversy with kids and teens being tried as adults was the case of Nathaniel Abraham. Nathaniel Abraham was found guilty of second-degree murder at only 11 years old. His trial lasted from October 29th-November 16, 1999. He “became the youngest American convicted of murder as an adult.” (Nathaniel Abraham Trial: 1999 by Encyclopedia). He stayed in juvenile detention until the age of 21 where he was then transferred to an adult prison. Now, in 2023, 27 states including the District of Columbia have banned life sentences without the possibility of parole for people under the age of 18, and in nine more states no person under the age of 18 can serve life in prison without parole. However, the United States is the only nation that can give people under the age of 18 life sentences without parole.

         Teens who commit crimes shouldn’t be sentenced to prison because they are not mentally capable of serving time with adults that have been in prison longer than they have and are much older than the teen is. If close to “70% of youths in the juvenile justice system have a diagnosed mental health disorder, and approximately 30 percent suffer from a mental illness so severe it impairs their ability to function as a responsible adult” (American Correctional Association Inc, 2016, p.24). How do you expect a teen to survive and cope in an adult prison that has a worse environment. Their brains are not meant to adapt to such harsh conditions too quickly. Their mental health can deteriorate fast and cause teens to develop depression, ADHD, anxiety, PTSD, and so much more worse symptoms. This is why teens shouldn’t be sent to adult prison because it’s going to make them become a worse person instead of coming out as a better person. The way adult prisons are set up and run doesn’t make the situation any better. 

         We can have an understanding of how bad the living conditions and treatment of the inmates in prison are by looking at the Kalief Browder incident. In 2010 Kalief Browder was arrested and accused of stealing a backpack at only 16 years old. Kalif Browder was innocent of the crime but because of the police forcing him to confess he was charged with “robbery, grand larceny, and assault. Bail was set at $3,000” (Kalief Browder’s Tragic Death and the Criminal Injustice of Our Bail System, ACLU, 2017). Since Kalief Browder couldn’t afford bail, he was sentenced and tried as an adult. He was sent to the infamous Rikers Island where he spent 3 years in prison and “over 800 days in solitary confinement” (ACLU, 2017). During his time in prison, he was beaten up by guards and inmates. Active “Research has long shown that solitary confinement — isolating prisoners for weeks, months, years and sometimes decades — has devastating effects on their physical and mental health” (Solitary confinement condemns many prisoners to long-term health issues, Emily Henderson, 2021). Kalief Browder was released on June 5th, 2013, and unfortunately killed himself two years later. This is why teens shouldn’t be sentenced to adult prisons because it causes their life to go downhill. Teens shouldn’t be living with adults that are twice their size and can easily overpower them. Teens should be sent to a place where they can be safe and rehabilitate instead of living in complete isolation which destroys the brain. 

        

        Unfortunately, despite all the negatives to teens going to adult prison, there are some people who think it's beneficial for teens to go to adult prison. Some people in society think teens should go to adult prison because “It offers a suitable penalty for severe crimes that some juveniles commit” (22 Should Juveniles Be Tried as Adults Pros and Cons, ConnectUS, 2019). It’s just like the saying “If you do the crime, you serve the time.” While it is true that people should face the consequences of their actions, taking them to an adult prison at such a young age is only going to cause more consequences and decrease their good behavior. If someone does a crime, they can serve the time but at a place where it can actually benefit them. To add on, it may seem like justice is being served because “It treats severe crimes with the seriousness that they deserve.” People tend to forget about the reason behind the crime and focus more on the actual crime being committed. Majority of teens who commit crimes do it because of the way they were raised. Which is why we should focus on giving them a second chance at life before sending them to prison. 

There are many ways we can help kids turn their life around before sending them to prison. In an interview with officer P.O DeFranco he believes that “society should give them more opportunities” (Scripted Interview 2023). Society should give teens and kids more opportunities to explore the world and their interests so they can have something to look forward to instead of crime. Another thing that can decrease crime in children is getting the police more involved with the kids besides arresting them. Having events where the police can hang out with kids and talk to them about life and careers can decrease the bad stigma that police officers have and give children a better chance at life and their future. 

 In conclusion, teens shouldn’t be sent to adult prison because it’s mentally, physically, and emotionally draining and causes more harm than good. We should think of more ways to help the kids and teens of this generation instead of instantly punishing them. 

Reference Page: 

Bethany, M. (2019). Free Cyntoia : my search for redemption in the American prison system.

Ford, C. (2019). 'Children Are Different; Sentencing Juveniles as Adults. : Pulitzer Center.

Wishnia, J. (2021). When can a Juvenile be Tried as Adults? : LegalMatch.

Wadhwani, A. (2016). Teen killer’s story inspires push to change Tenn. law. : USAToday.

Burgan, M. (n.d.). Nathaniel Abraham Trial: 1999. : encyclopedia.

Miller, G. (2022). The Invention of Incarceration. : The Daily Star

Rovner, J. (2023). Juvenile Life Without Parole: An Overview. : The Sentencing Project.

Lived Experiences of Adults Initially Sentenced to Life Without Option of Parole as Juveniles and Their Transition Back into the Community. (2017). : John Jay Library

The value of alternative therapies in mental health treatment for incarcerated youths (Vol. 78). (2016). : John Jay Library.

Burke, M. (2019). Cyntoia Brown, Behind bars since 16, walks free: What we know about her case. : NBC News

Kalief Browder’s Tragic Death and the Criminal Injustice of Our Bail System. (2017). : ACLU

Henderson, E. (2021). Solitary confinement condemns many prisoners to long-term health issues. : News Medical Life Science

22 Should Juveniles Be Tried as Adults Pros and Cons. (2019). : ConnectUS.

Scripted Interview