How can children be criminally tried as adults but not have other rights like smoking, drinking or voting?

Question

Chazmatazz269 · Accepted Answer

Smoking and drinking are not rights. You’re conflating privileges with rights. Privileges are not guaranteed by the US Constitution and they can be taken away at any time for any reason or no reason at all.
The right to vote can also be considered as a privilege, as it’s a limited right and not specifically protected under the constitution. This is why felons often lose their right to vote and have to go to great lengths to get it back, if at all.
Children who are charged with particularly heinous crimes are often considered for prosecution as an adult because of the nature of the crime itself and the necessary motivations to committing such offenses. Similarly to how we remove certain privileges for all criminals, having criminal motivations similar to an adult doesn’t necessitate that they receive adult privileges. It necessitates that they face adult consequences. Should they learn some lessons and come out of it a better person, they’ll likely have the opportunity to gain some of those privileges back.

Stoner710 · Accepted Answer

Now you understand my point. You shouldn’t be allowed to spend life in prison vote join the military if you’re not allowed to drink a beer or a shot or smoke A cigarette this is why I asked the question a few weeks ago where it adults begin at 18 or 21. If you’re not allowed to have a beer or a cigarette you should not be allowed to be illegal adult at all. Which means you do not get to be tried as an adult if you’re below the age where you cannot legally have a beer. Which means you should be able to vote join the military or anything that adults can freely do so adulthood t should now start at 21

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Maybe there needs to be some juvenlile justice reform, a lot of times the punishment in juvenile courts is minimal compared to adult court. Maybe there shouold be some middle ground, the punishment in juvenile courts should become more severe for serious crimes like murder but not as severe as they would be in adult court, for instance 20 years, instead of life in prison. Or maybe a chance at an earlier parole if a mental health expert can verify that as an adult they not understand they severity of their crimes.

LazerBean · Accepted Answer

That only happens for the most horrific of crimes, like that time when two girls lured their friend out into the woods specifically to stab her to death. 12 years old is well old enough to know that is bad. And even when they are attempted to be convicted as adults, it rarely goes through. Most of the time they go to mental health facilities for a few years then get out.

NathanDavis · Answer

because this is an exception that applies to very VERY serious crimes only

and then the law requires that all those serious crimes are addressed as an adult trial with an adult sentence even if they are juvenile/minors, and also the juvenile justice systems are not actually focused on prosecuting these types of crimes, so when the "kids" commit VERY serious crimes or they also have an extensive criminal record they will just transfer the case to a "regular" court, which happens to be an "adult court"

Fuentes · Answer

Well it depends on how horrendous the crime was like if theirs a kid who killed a whole family or did some crazy kid Micheal Meyers type shit or just shot up a a few officers or did a columbine. You will want that kid charged to the fullest extent and the only place he'll get that time is Adult Prison.

BlackBeauty90 · Answer

Are you STUPID?

Voting, drinking and smoking is NOT ILLEGAL

Murder IS illegal. Rape IS illegal. Horrendous crimes are ILLEGAL.

Nevermind that a MINORITY of the population be it child or adult commits horrendous crimes NOT the majority.

So a child tried as an adult is an ODDITY not normality.

Voting, drinking and smoking is designed for the MAJORITY population be it child or adult NOT the minority.

Juxtapose · Answer

Murder is not a right so I don't mind children being punished for that severely. None of this getting off after 1 or 2 years in juvie crap.

Would you want some punk 17-year-old who killed you to only get a few years in juvie just because they're not 18?

jshm2 · Answer

Because laws allow for prosecuting of juveniles if the charges are major enough ( i. e. murder). Or it can be proven the defendant is a significant risk to the public.

Smoking, drinking etc are not "rights" you dumbass. Even voting isn't really a right as you can be exempted from it by government whim, such as from being in prison.

Anonymous · Answer

Well two of those are health risks, so we can't exactly be giving kid-adults carte blanche to potentially kill themselves or others, and considering we can't even decide what adult-adults can do whilst voting, adding a whole sector of the population to that now probably isn't the greatest of plans.

ElementoP · Answer

Having a 16 year old put away for life after murdering his baby sitter with a hammer is a lot better than having a bunch of drunk teenagers on the road

zagor · Answer

Because knowing you shouldn't shoot someone is more basic than knowing not to drink a gallon of rum. That's why 5 year olds are never charged as an adult but 15 year olds can be. Growing up is a gradual process.

msc545 · Answer

In my opinion, I think that trying children as adults is more a reflection of vengeance and horror at their alleged crime than anything else. There is little real utility in doing this except to satisfy the political needs of prosecutors.

Sarahplus2 · Answer

They are being as adults because the crime is so horrendous for that age group that only an adult punishment is fitting.

Pinay_ako · Answer

Smoking, drinking and voting are not criminal nor illegal

EarthRealm · Answer

If a 15 year old bodybuilder Rapes you by force sticks his dick in your ass and fucks you for 3 hours your telling me you wouldn’t want him to be Tried as an adult

anylolone · Answer

I do believe that's an inconsistency to be resolved. If you are to be tried as an adult then you ought to be perpetually treated like one. You don't want that, though...

Jamie05rhs · Answer

Those kids probably ARE already smoking and drinking.

Waldoe · Answer

they are Not the same thing... "how can a person be old enough to drink, but not allowed to drive a car?" WHAAAT?

Exterminatore · Answer

Great question. Would seem adult privileges should equal adult responsibilities and vice versa.

Anonymous · Answer

You need to draw the line somewhere I guess.

Plinko · Answer

Severity of crime.

Pudsmucker · Answer

Only when they commit a crime of murder.

PrettypleaseDY · Answer

It's insane

How can children be criminally tried as adults but not have other rights like smoking, drinking or voting?

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How can children be criminally tried as adults but not have other rights like smoking, drinking or voting?

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