Children should be tried as adults for heinous crimes.

Rebuttals: Pro's arguments are focused on a need for stricter punishment for minors who commit heinous crimes. Pro says “If tried in a juvenile court the longest time they will spend there is until they are 21, this is no justice to families of the people's lives they had to have ruined to get there in the first place.” “With the numbers increasing since 2003 this just means that we need harsher punishments for children who commit these kinds of crimes. If we don’t then once they get out of a juvenile center they could very well do it again.” "Light sentences don't teach kids the lesson they need to learn: If you commit a terrible crime, you will spend a considerable part of your life in jail." I am inclined to agree. However, this is not the same as being tried as an adult. The resolve is not “Minors who commit heinous crimes deserve stricter sentences.” Rather the resolve is “Children should be tried as adults for heinous crimes.” As pro has not provided any arguments as to why children should be tried as adults, this concludes my rebuttal. Arguments: From pro’s third source we read that “Children don't have the intellectual or moral capacity to understand the consequences of their actions; similarly, they lack the same capacity to be trial defendants.”(1) This is the primary reason I am opposed to children being tried as adults for heinous crimes. Mental Capacity. Children, and others whose Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) is not fully developed, do not have the have the full capacity to reason. (2) "The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is located in the very front of the brain, just behind the forehead. In charge of abstract thinking and thought analysis, it is also responsible for regulating behavior. This includes mediating conflicting thoughts, making choices between right and wrong, and predicting the probable outcomes of actions or events."(3) "Since the PFC controls intense emotions and impulses, it is sometimes referred to as the seat of good judgement. As such, a properly functioning prefrontal cortex inhibits inappropriate behaviors " including delaying gratification of needs, for things like food or sex " while encouraging wise, acceptable choices. In part, this occurs because it works to allow humans to balance immediate reward with long-term goals."(3) “Medical studies have shown that the PFC is the last section of the brain to mature. In other words, while all other brain regions are fully developed early in life, its development is not complete until around age 25."(3) "As a number of researchers have put it, "the rental car companies have it right." The brain isn't fully mature at 16, when we are allowed to drive, or at 18, when we are allowed to vote, or at 21, when we are allowed to drink, but closer to 25, when we are allowed to rent a car."(2) Conclusion: Children are not mentally as capable as adults. This is due to the PFC not being fully developed. Thus children are less capable of reasoned thinking, making choices between right and wrong, predicting outcomes, good judgment, regulating behavior, or inhibiting inappropriate behavior. Due to this difference between children and adults, Children should NOT be tried as adults for heinous crimes. The resolution is negated. (1)http://content.time.com... (2) http://hrweb.mit.edu... (3) http://www.wisegeek.org...