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＋One school of thought holds that juvenile offenders should hold the same accountability for committing a serious crime as adults. While I acknowledge the reasons behind this thinking, I would argue that the legal system should take account of their developmental stage and introduce behavioural correction rather than imposing the same punitive reforms.

On the one hand, it is understandable why some people believe young offenders need to face legal consequences the same way as adults. The key rationale in favour of this notion is that having a consistent legal system can promote fairness. A uniform sentencing policy helps to ensure that offenders committing the serious crimes receive comparable punishment regardless of their age. Otherwise, the public might perceive the national legal framework as biased and inequitable. Such perceptions like this can undermine public confidence and erode their trust in the justice system. Furthermore, this can also serve as a power deterrent, discouraging others from engaging in criminal conduct, thereby ensuring public safety. Considering these factors, the idea of applying similar penalties to both adults and juveniles seems perfectly justifiable from the perspective of fairness and crime prevention.

On the other hand, I am convinced that sentencing decisions should take the developmental differences between adolescents and grown adults into consideration. Perhaps the foremost reason that can be put forward would be that young adults have not yet reached fully cognitive development and emotional maturity, making them less capable of assessing the long-term consequences and the situations. Additionally, juveniles can be highly impressionable and susceptible to peer pressure.Therefore, their decision can be emotionally impulsive and negatively influenced by older peers. Instead, since their personalities are still developing, they often have more capacity for rehabilitation and behavioral reform than adults instead of purely punitive reform.

In conclusion, while there are justifications for advocating punishing juveniles and adults seems valid for fairness and public safety, I would contend that judges should consider the developmental characteristics and rehabilitative potential of juvenile offender before determining an appropriate sentence.