Youth as Sex Offenders and Felons: Is This Too Harsh?

We have all heard the horror stories of teenagers that either make a bad decision, or are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. When deciding on what is the correct form for punishing our youth, it is always a sticky situation. Your teens are such an odd time of your life; some people still want to be children, while others are on the fast track to being grown. Some teenagers are mature, wise, and considerate in their decision making, while others are not. During your teen years you are still trying to find your way in life, and often our youth find themselves doing whatever possible to fit in.

So, what types of punishments are appropriate for a person whose life has barely began? Is it ethically correct to sentence someone to a lifetime of punishment for something they did when they were basically still a kid? Being a registered sex offender or a felon is a title that will haunt you forever, a label that follows you wherever you go, and a label that everyone in the world can see. However, there is no distinction between the types of sex offender and the types of felons. How can someone that had consensual sex with a person younger than them and got hit with statutory rape, be labeled as the same sex offender as the predator that tortured and raped multiple women and children. Why is there no distinction between the two?

I understand that the law has to be neutral for everyone and that cases cannot be circumstantial, however I just cannot help but think that it is not right to rid someone of their future for a mistake made when they are not mature enough to see that it was wrong; this is especially questionable in cases where there is not substantial evidence pointing to the youth in question as the criminal. Law should not simply be based off of "he said, she said" testimonies without hardcore evidence to support.

In a recent article I read, a lawyer discussed how eye-witness testimonies are not necessarily credible in all circumstances. This is due to bribery, lying, black mail, and many other reasons. The lawyer backed up her argument with something that I never really took into consideration.

The human brain is so amazing, did you know that we are capable of telling ourselves a lie and making ourselves believe it forever? It is actually possible for any human being to fabricate a memory in their mind, that never really happened, and to be able to memorize and feel this memory as it was as real as every other memory.It is typically known as false memory syndrome and is not uncommon.

I would be interested in hearing feedback from others on this topic. I completely understand that we are all responsible for our own decisions and we should know right and wrong at an early age, but how can you take away someones future for a mistake they made when their brain was not even fully developed? Remember, this is just something I was thinking about for cases in which there are only eye-witness testimonies, he said she said situations, or lack of hardcore evidence. It is quite possible that when you are a teenager, you were simply with the wrong group of people at the wrong time.