Proposition 21 does nothing to protect our communities, and all it does is incarcerate children. ... Proposition 21 was also established to supposedly make communities safer, but in reality it is doing nothing for them. ... To an extent, these opinions may have some truth in them, but what about cases like Maggie Elvey's, a woman who lost her husband because a fifteen year old beat him to death with a steel pipe. ... On a personal note, I can think of many examples of juveniles around my neighborhood who have committed crimes and have "beat" the system because of their age. ... I...

• Word Count: 1985
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

It is important to note that the majority of juveniles arrested in America are arrested for property crimes and other less serious offenses-not crimes of violence (Sadler 26). ... When a group of young people gets together for the reason of doing nothing but causing problems it can cause some serious crimes. ... This is a troubling concept for many people to grasp, but the truth is that some juveniles are just a violent, if not more violent, than many adult offenders (Barr 2). ...

• Word Count: 1792
• Approx Pages: 7

The states had to agree with the "truth-in- sentencing-laws." (---) These laws required states to hold their inmates for at least 85% of the sentences, in order to send their overflow to the new prisons (---). ... Opponents of alternatives to incarceration note that prison population has increased with tough sentencing, but the national crime rate has gone down (Marciniak). ...

• Word Count: 1970
• Approx Pages: 8