A young person, say 13 years old, boy or girl, acquires a gun and shoots another young person who is harassing him. There is no doubt that they should receive some sort of punishment for their actions. However, should they receive this sanction in juvenile courts or criminal courts? This is the question that has no real definitive answer. However, this article will attempt to address some important questions regarding this issue. Studies have shown that juvenile delinquency was increasing in the early 1990s. In the late 1990s and the start of the new century, these crimes decreased slightly. However, where are these crimes the same type of crimes that juveniles committed before? No, these crimes have become more violent due to the changing world we live in. Therefore, by conducting research on this issue, he came to show that the age of the individual should not be a determining factor but the crime committed. Juveniles today commit more serious crimes than before; thus requiring that they be tried and punished as adults due to the nature of the crime, the violence involved and the types of crimes. However, when faced with the crimes committed, we cannot discuss them without first overcoming a major obstacle, namely age. This is the most discussed part of any argument when it comes to juveniles and crime. At what age does a child have the capacity to commit a crime? Under common law, the basis of all laws in the United States, a child cannot commit a crime if the defense can prove that the child is an infant. Childhood, or in other words immaturity, was the guide and concluded that a child could not commit an adult crime. However, what is this age and when did it change? Well, to answer in the middle of the article......New York University Press. Zimring, FE. (2005) “A Rational For American Juvenile Justice.” American juvenile justice. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 56-62. “Crime in the United States 2008.” FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation Home Page. Np, nd Web, July 13, 2010. Snyder, H., Sickmund, M. and Poe-Yamagata, E. (2000) Transfers of Juveniles to Criminal Court in the 1990s: Lessons from Four States. National Center for Juvenile Justice: Pittsburg, PA. Griffin, P. (2008) Different from adults: an updated analysis of juvenile transfer and combined sentencing laws, with recommendations for reform. National Center for Juvenile Justice: Pittsburg, P.A.Griffin, P. (2003) Judging and Sentencing Juveniles as Adults: An Analysis of State Transfer and Combined Sentencing Laws. National Center for Juvenile Justice: Pittsburg, Pennsylvania