For years now there has been a great deal of contentious discussion about whether or not juveniles should be treated as adults in the judicial process. Both sides have very strong arguments as to why it should or shouldn't be legal. There are many pros and cons to tackling this topic. There were many different cases that sparked debate about whether or not minors deserved the same treatment. This justice system has not always had this problem to deal with. Early justice systems did not traditionally have the problem of having to try juveniles as adults or they did not believe in it. Early justice systems tried juveniles in juvenile courts as the juveniles they were. Courts now allow juveniles to be tried as adults for certain criminal offenses; like murder. It has been estimated that 250,000 youth are prosecuted as adults each year (Woolard, 2005). This was not prevalent until the 1990s, when courts expanded their rules to the point that juveniles could be charged as adults with serious crimes (Khan, 2010). Robert Schwartz, co-founder of the Juvenile Law Center, and Thomas Grisso, clinical psychologists, stated in their book “Youth on Trial” that the juvenile justice system has taken on the image of the adult criminal justice system (Khan, 2010 ). However, years later, the courts decided to issue a decision that ultimately softened the sentences some juveniles would receive. The courts decided that it was the best of intentions that juveniles who were not convicted of murder were not eligible for life in prison without the possibility of parole. Based on this, the juveniles were given a lighter, therefore more reasonable sentence, based on what was believed to be best for the juveniles who committed the crime... middle of paper... field of criminal justice for many years to come most likely. Whether it's a parent who has children and imagines that their son or daughter could be the one who could receive a life sentence, or another person who has had a loved one lose their life to a minor; this topic will remain and there will always be two opposing sides. Works Cited Khan, Huma. “Juvenile Justice: Too Young for Life?” ABC News. July 12, 2010. Woolard, J. “Juveniles within Adult Correctional Settings: Legal Pathways and Developmental Considerations.” International Journal of Forensic Mental Health 4.1 (2005): 18. Print.Reaves, Jessica. “Should the law treat children and adults differently?” TIME. Item. Thursday, May 17, 2001.Chen, Stephanie. “Boy, 12, faces charge of murder of an adult” CNN Justice. Item. 15 March 2010ACS Distance Learning. Article “Risk factors for adolescent crime”.. 2014.