I agree with trying kids as adults when the problem is severe, but not with a problem that is as small as stealing gum. In these passages, it talks about two different opinions about trying kids as adults. I believe that kids should only be tried as adults when the crime they commit is severe or terrible, but not if it is only a little problem that can be fixed easily. I agree with both sides of these stories because I believe that not all crimes are bad, but none are good.
The author in the passage about trying kids as adults is right in the argument where she concludes, “youth behavior is malleable’, and can only be only reformed with treatment and successful rehabilitation” (Wilde 1). Yes, sometimes kids do really bad things, like in the story, but what if a child got convicted of stealing from a candy store? Should they be convicted of theft, and be sent to prison for 2 years? Though, the author still states, “In 1993, a two year old Jamie Bulger… was taken by two 10-year-old boys and was mutilated and murdered… laid his body on a rail road track… which would cover up what they did to the child.” (Wilde 1). Still, the kids in the story should go to jail rather than only having their names changed because it seemed that they planned the whole thing out. I agree with punishing kids who do the worst that can possibly be done over the kid who does an accidental crime.
The author thinks that kids should be tried as an adult. She cares for the kids but she wants them to be tried because of their crimes that they committed. It informs the reader about a story that two ten year olds committed with a two year old; the story tells that the ten year olds had mutilated and murdered the young boy and tried to make it seem like and accident, but it obviously wasn’t. The ten year olds were not tried as adults, even though the crime was terrible. She believes that these kids should have been tried as adults because of the crimes that they committed. She thinks the punishments are not harsh enough, so she wants kids to be tried as adults.
In conclusion, the author cares for the children, but the things they do can be very terrible and she thinks that they should be tried like an adult because of the crimes that were committed. Kids can do things that aren’t that bad, but they can also do things that are really bad. I think that kids should be tried by the crimes they commit, not by the things that other kids have done. Kids should only be tried as adults when the problem is severe, and not when it is as simple as stealing candy from a store.