Life Imprisonment for a Fifteen Year Old Juvenile Essay

Introduction In the United States, each year, there are numerous juvenile delinquents who are given mandatory life prison sentences. This paper will explain how a troubled boy at the age of 15 winds up being convicted, receiving one of the harshest punishments in the United States, and what actions may prevent future occurrence of this event happening to the lives of other delinquent youth. Discussion In a recent news story reported by Hanson (2013), Travion Blount was convicted and sentenced to six life terms. He did not commit homicide, rape, or any sort of sexual assault. He was convicted of 51 felony charges which included the illegal use of a firearm, robbery, and abduction. Blount’s advocates argue his six life sentences for an†¦show more content†¦Also Church, Wharton, and Taylor (2008) say that the nature of a child’s peer relationships, social and family surroundings and self-image are factors associated with deviant behavior. This may explain why Blount got involved in criminal behavior. Blount was taught his gang’s basic values, skills, norms, attitudes, and beliefs. This became his way of life, which was normal for him. In addition, Bartollas and Miller (2014) state that according to Travis Hirschi’se social control theory, examination must be made on the individual’s ties to conventional society. Hirschi linked delinquent behavior to the bonds that an individual has with his family and school. If those bonds are not strong, the individual may follow people who he believes have his back and who he feels close to. In addition to this, Hirschi says there are four basic elements to his theory. First is individual attachment, which relates to a person’s closeness to such groups as family, school, teacher, and church. If a person has a close relationship with such groups, the chances of committing a criminal act go down. 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