Prior to 1899, in the United States, juvenile delinquents over the age of seven were imprisoned in the same facilities as adult delinquents. As a result of political and social reformers, society's views on juvenile justice began to shift toward a more comprehensive view. Beginning in 1899, individual states began to address the problem of youth incarceration by establishing youth reform homes, the predecessors of juvenile dental centers. The objective of these homes was the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders for their reintegration into society and for the common good. However, in recent years, many have argued that juveniles accused of violent crimes should be treated as adults; while others support its antithesis. In 2005, Kirk Gunderson (17) committed suicide while incarcerated in an adult prison. His mother, Vicky Gunderson, explained to a youth justice researcher how her son was sexually assaulted and involved in physical fights. He was placed in solitary confinement where he was left alone for two and a half hours. Once the guards returned, Kirk was found dead hanging from a smoke detector blanket. It is upsetting for many to read cases like Kirk's, but it begs the question; Could this act of violence have been avoided? This essay seeks to demonstrate that juveniles, persons who have not reached the age at which they should be treated as adults by the criminal justice system (16 in New York State), charged with violent crimes, a variety of misdemeanor crimes punishable by imprisonment for more than one year until death (murder, rape, arson and burglary), should not be treated as adults in the criminal justice system because this will lead to more acts of violence against juvenile offenders by of both adult offenders and themselves. Three topics... in the center of the paper... "Speaking out against the persecution of young people as adults". Campaign for youth justice. 2007. Network. April 2, 2011. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. "Youth suicide". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 07 August 2008. Web. 03 April 2011. Eric Klein, JD at the Georgetown University Law Center, Dennis the Menace or Billy the Kid: An Analysis of the Role of Transfer to Criminal Court in Juvenile Justice, American Criminal Law Review, Winter 1998, p.ln //gp3The New York Times. “Throwing the Young Away: Prison Suicide – NYTimes.com.” Editorials - Opinion - The Council's Blog - NYTimes.com. 21 November 2007. Web. 03 April. 2011. .