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Punishment is the solution to Teen Violence: Many people believe that when teenagers commit violent crimes, they only want to have some attention. Their behavior is a cry for help. They youths should be punished, but the punishment should help the criminals and not just discipline them. Because of that most of the teens escape real punishment. The youths undergo a group therapy or vocational training and do other things, but they don't get real punishment. After that they can go home and they have got a second chance.
Many of the youths who are sentenced to prison are real criminals who feel no remorse fo their crimes. In 1972 6 percent of the juvenile population was responsible for two-thirds of the violent juvenile crime in Philadelphia. And those kids have got five or more contacts with the police. This is an unacceptable risk for society. It is said that the juveniles justice institutions must give up their fantasy that all violent juveniles can be reformed. There are at least two reasons why society should mete act real punishment toward juvenile crimes.
The first and most important is public safety. A lot of teens will be victims by teen criminals. The second reason is that it will send a signal to other teens that because of violent behavior you will lose your liberty for much of your adult life.
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