In response to the “5-year-old allegedly raped by 13-year-old” my heart goes out to the 5-year-old and family. These situations are happening more and more and the public needs to be educated. The mother wanting to enforce a Juvenile Sex Offender Registry doesn’t understand the negative effects that has on adolescents. It has been stated that making adolescents register can hinder rehabilitation and have long term consequences (Bellware, 2014). The possibility of suicide increases and having a label such as sex offender for the rest of their life has not just a negative impact but negative consequences as well. When adolescents go into the system at a young age they often stay in the system going in and out of jails and prisons. Adolescents aren’t able to comprehend this and their brains aren’t fully developed. The frontal lobe; which is said to be the decision making and reasoning part of the brain isn’t fully developed till about age 25/26 (Mental Health Daily, 2016). Because of this, individuals don’t have proper reasoning and decision making skills. However, adolescents are more susceptible to treatment in that their brain is still developing which is the proper form of punishment. Adolescents need discipline and structure, and when this is instilled into a daily routine that is when adolescents can grow in a positive manner. Another factor to is that the individual is starting to go through puberty and experience his body in addition to hormones being “out of whack.” This can cause an individual to have sexual urges that one isn’t use to, so being open and having “the talk” with your kids is very important. Adolescents need to be educated on sex and what is appropriate and not appropriate sexual behavior. In conclusion, making adolescents register as sex offenders is not the correct form of action. What needs to be done is have more services offered for adolescents like the Lutheran Family Services mentioned in the article because they have a recidivism rate as less than one percent after completion of the program. More services like this is productive in helping the adolescent grow in a more positive manner; also we must remember we are all human and make mistakes. Thus we all deserve a second chance and to be given the tools needed to make good choices and to always “think” before every action.

Adolescent Brains Show Lower Activity in Areas That Control Risky Choices. (n.d.). Retrieved from National Institute of Mental Health: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2007/ado

At What Age Is The Brain Fully Developed? (2016). Retrieved from Mental Health Daily: http://mentalhealthdaily.com/2015/02/18/at-what-age-is-the-brain-fully-developed/

Bellware, K. (2014, March 25). Here’s Why It’s ‘Counterproductive’ To Put Juveniles On The Sex Offender Registry. Retrieved from Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/25/illinois-juvenile-sex-offenders_n_5028947.html

 

 

 

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