Serious violent crimes among people who are under-18 are becoming more common. Some people think that children who commit serious crimes should be treated like adults, while others would say that they should be rehabilitated.

Young people are involved in major criminal activities nowadays. Some would argue that these youngsters should be punished like the grownups for breaking the law, while others think that the minors are not mature enough and should be treated in rehabilitation centers. While punishing them for the crimes is the easiest way to get justice for the victims, I believe that it is better to help them get matured through rehabilitation. On the one hand, severe crimes committed by the adolescent group of people should be locked up in jails. The innocent people affected by the criminal activities demand justice for their losses, and they believe that custodial sentences will help the young criminals have discipline in the future. For example, a mother of a toddler who had lost her child will expect the under-18 offender to be sent to prison for murdering her child. However, I believe that handling minors similar to adults will only affect them mentally while developing hatred towards society. On the other hand, youngsters are not completely mature, and they will require reformation to learn to be disciplined in the future. These people commit crimes without thinking about the consequences that lead to adverse effects on the victims and themselves, whereas rehabilitation centers will enable the children to grow themselves to become people in the community. For example, around 70% of the below-18 criminals in Australia have been successfully rehabilitated in the last 5 years. I believe that this method is preferable because it helps the offender to become a better person and helps the community as well. In conclusion, although punishments can seem to have served justice for the victims, it does not affect the criminal, and that is why it is more important to help them through rehab.