For Sentencing Sentencing is becoming increasingly popular in juvenile courts. This is a special statute that allows a minor to serve a sentence beyond 21 years. It specifically covers certain violent crimes and drug cases, such as murder, capital murder, sexual assault, and indecency with a child. Aggravated controlled substance cases are also covered (TYC website). The alternative to determinate sentencing is mixed sentencing, which allows judges to issue both juvenile and adult dispositions to offenders. Depending on the behavior of the offender while serving the juvenile sentence, a post-judicial security phase occurs to determine whether or not the adult sentence should be suspended or invoked (Belshaw et al, 2011). I personally support the use of determinate sentencing for these offenders and believe it would be a failure for the criminal justice system not to use them. This is considered a heinous crime and no leniency should be shown. At age 12-14, young people know that murder is wrong, and the fact that this young man had to lose his life at age 19 over an IPOD is atrocious. As we discussed in class, these offenders do not end up where they are because of their first crime. They are habitual and violent criminals. Precisely for this reason they should remain behind bars. It bothers me that juveniles usually get out of prison at 21. I think capital offenders should be permanently moved to adult prison. It is not justice for a minor to kill someone and be released from prison a year or two later simply because he is under eighteen. Huber's (2005) book "Last Chance in Texas" tells stories of attempts to ... .... half of the document ...... age population or to meet their specific needs of very young prisoner (Deitch , 2011). Works Cited Belshaw, S. H., Caudill, J. W., Delisi, M., & Trulson, C. R. ( 2011). An adaptation problem: Extreme offenders, mixed sentencing, and the determinants of continuing sanctions for adults. Criminal Justice Policy Review. 22(3) pp. 263Deitch, M. (2011). Juveniles in the Adult Criminal Justice System in Texas, Austin, TX: University of Texas at Austin, LBJ School of Public Affairs Hubner, J. (2005). Last chance in Texas. The redemption of young criminals. New York: Random House Trade Paperback.Knox, A. (2007). Blakely and mixed sentences: a constitutional challenge to the sentencing of juvenile "criminals". Ohio State University Moritz College of Law website: TYC http://www.tyc.state.tx.us/about/sentenced_offenders.html (received December 9, 2011).