Should teenagers be charged or placed in a juvenile center on their first offense?

Can someone help me? I have to research this question.
Answer:
This has to do with theories of justice and punishment and there are several.

There is just desert, people should be punished for what they deserve.

retributivist theories, people should be punished for the sake of punishment, regardless of what they deserve

specific deterrence, a person should be punished so that they will not do the crime again

general deterrence, a person should be punished as an example to the greater community so as to disuade others from punishing again.

rehabilitation, a person should be punished in such a way that they are rehabilitated

etc.

If your paper includes these theories of justice and punishment, it will be good.

Follow the link below to an online encyclopedia britannica article that will give you an outline on the theories of punishment. You can use this as a springboard to other things, but your essay should us theories of punishment at its core. Next, it should tackle the issue of the effect and controversy of juvenile offenders. You could critique each theory of punishment and see if it succeeds in its traditional goals according to statistics.

goodluck!

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It depends on the offense. If you are talking shoplifting, then maybe a diversion program and community service would be appropriate.

If you are talking a violent crime, (murder, robbery, rape, etc) then yes, they should be locked up even if it is their first time. If they are old enough to commit a crime, they are old enough to pay the price for it.

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Well, you'd think that if the crime is severe enough, yes, but sometimes I question that. I think there are a lot of factors in making a decision like this.

One thing to keep in mind is that since our society has become so against rehabilitation often, the people who come out of juvenile centers, youth authorities, and prisons come out better criminals, not better human beings.

Some teenaged first offenders are better off being punished outside of the justice system (like with community service, house arrest, etc.).

I believe you'll find evidence to support this on the Internet. I have a family member who works in the juvenile justice system and at present, a kid may be better off NOT being sent into the system according to him.