Should troubled teens be counseled instead of punished? This topic is one that is stirring up plenty of controversy both on a personal level and on a National level. With the rise of crimes being committed by teenagers there is plenty of agreement that current policies need to be changed.
 The tough question to answer though is do we need to offer counseling to troubled teens to get to the core of these issues or do we punish them so they can’t do it again. By punishing them we send a strong message to other troubled teens but will that be enough?
It seems very unfair to punish a troubled teen because they have made a couple mistakes so early in life. Yet where do we cross the line as to what we view as a mistake and what is clearly unacceptable? Research has shown that most troubled teens that commit serious crimes have a pattern of criminal history. As they continued to get away with their antics they escalated in severity.
It is very sad though to think of a troubled teen at the age of 15 or 16 and locked up for life. How is punishing them in this manner teaching them anything about the crimes they committed? It is also very expensive to have these troubled teenagers behind bars for so many years. However how can we justify allowing troubled teens to have their freedom just because of their age at the time they committed the crimes?
To assist troubled teens in ours society plenty needs to be done early in their lives. Society as a whole needs to change what we view as being acceptable. Explaining to children from an early age what is right and wrong is important. They also need to learn to accept responsibility for their own actions.
The issue over troubled youth and should they be counseled instead of punished holds no easy answer. This is an issue that will continue to be full of heated discussions for quite some time to come. |
