Second Chances with Strings Attached: Young Adults' Views on Juvenile Punishment

• In Event: Public Opinion, Youth, and Juvenile Justice

Abstract

While overall public support for treating juvenile offenders as adults has declined significantly, racial disparities in punitive attitudes toward youth remain stubbornly persistent. Drawing on interviews with over 200 participants from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, this study examines young adults' views on punishment for juvenile crimes. A central theme in our interviews is a widespread belief in a "second chance" principle: respondents generally support leniency for a first offense, emphasizing the importance of learning from mistakes. However, they advocate for harsh punishment for any subsequent crime that occurs, suggesting a rigid boundary between redemption and retribution. We employ an intersectional approach to analyze how gender, race, and ethnicity shape these views. Our examination of these perspectives reveals conditional and superficial beliefs regarding personal change and growth, contingent on immediate and permanent reform after a single mistake. Such views reflect a punitive mindset that undermines the complexities of human development and the realities of recidivism, where change is often non-linear. By highlighting this contradiction, we critique the limitations of popular notions of accountability and urge a reconsideration of juvenile justice policies that harshly penalize repeat offenders without recognizing the ongoing potential for growth and rehabilitation.

Authors

• Mary Nell Trautner, University at Buffalo, SUNY

• Tucker Reyes, University at Buffalo, SUNY