CMV: The younger you are, the more punishment you should receive for a crime.

I think we should get away from the "life sentence, murder etc." approach to criminality, and move towards individually fit sentences. I think individually fit sentences would be achieved by looking at the younger a criminal is, and younger they are, the more punishment they should serve. I believe this for several reasons:<br><br>\- The younger a criminal is, the more opportunity there is to fit them with harsher sentences. A 15 year old criminal convicted of a crime will be younger than a 50 year old criminal convicted of a crime for the next 30 years. Therefore, if both criminals are sentenced for 30 years, the 15 year old criminal will have spent more of their life in prison. <br><br>\- The younger a criminal is, the less they have to give up. A 50 year old convict will have to give up their career, house and family, but a 15 year old convict is still in school so they will not have to give up their career. They will most likely stay in their house (and have their parents support them for a longer period of time), and they will not have to give up their family as family ties will be maintained through the prison system. As you get older, the more you have to give up, and therefore the harsher the punishment will be. A 50 year old convict will have to give up more than a 15 year old, even if they receive the same sentence. <br><br>\- The older a criminal gets, the less of a chance they have at rehabilitation. Therefore, older criminals should just be sent to prison for shorter periods of time and receive less rehabilitation. Younger criminals, however, have their whole life in front of them. Rehabilitation for a young criminal will be far more effective than rehabilitation for an old criminal, because a young criminal still has their whole life in front of them. Young criminals should receive longer sentences because they have a greater chance at rehabilitation. Therefore, a longer sentence with a focus on rehabilitation will be more beneficial for a younger criminal.<br><br>\- Statistics show that older criminals are less likely to reoffend than younger criminals. Older criminals will stay out of jail for longer than younger criminals. Therefore, older criminals should receive less punishment, as they are likely to be rehabilitated anyway, and are less likely to reoffend. Younger criminals will likely reoffend when they get out of jail, so they should be in jail longer. <br><br>&#x200B;