A 12-year-old boy could face life in prison after alleged robbery attempt and a killing. Do you feel he should be treated like a juvenile instead of an adult during sentencing?
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ANSWERS: 25
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No, if he wanted to act like a big men and rob and killed someone, he should be treated like an adult.
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No, a 12 year old knows that is wrong. He should be tried as an adult. He's lucky hes not getting the death penalty.
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I do not think he should be tried as an adult, he is not an adult. What is the point of having juvenile jails, rules, punishment, if we are going to start trying all of them as adults. Juveniles, know when they break the law it is wrong, why not just try all crimes as adult crimes? -
In my opinion, its a juvenile, so treat him as such.Isnt that the reason the word juvenile exists in the first place??? He isnt an adult, therefore he shouldnt be tried as one
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11stevo73 would you say the same if he killed one of your children or family members? Bet you wouldn't
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OrangeDonRump If he killed one of my family, he'd better beg them to keep him behind bars, at least for as long as I'm living.
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I don't believe there should be a "juvanile" and "adult" segregation... that pretends there is a overnight switch. punishments should be dealt out acording to the crime and likelihood of recomission.
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I am a firm believer in you do the crime you do the time. However because we have different ways to punish people depending on their age then no. I do not think the child should serve a prison term with other adults until he/she is an adult and should be housed with other children until he/she becomes an adult. I honestly believe we have so much crime, because the laws are not strict enough.
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Since there is discrimination and segregation between juveniles and adults, to break that barrier in a so-called "special circumstance" is pure bullshit. If you're going to draw a distinction so black and white as those two classes, then you can't blur the line to suit your own ends. Laws are laws, not suggestions. Laws are not meant to be bent, or blurred. This distinction is a flaw, and in order to try the kid as an adult, truly, you must first eliminate that distinction. Until then, he's a juvenile, and will remain a juvenile for approximately nine years more.
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armed robbery do you live in the ghetto?
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Is it life without? If it isn't perhaps he will serve the minimum amount of time and be able to have an adult life outside of prison. If not, this equates to two lives lost. It's one of the saddest situations in this day. There was another question on AB where a lively discussion took place regarding the effect of violence on kids from media such as TV, video games, movies, etc. The majority of the answerers held there was no impact. I do not agree. Some children seem to have no understanding of the harm done to a whole body of family and friends of a victim of murder. They are desensitized. Laws and rating will not take care of the problem, only responsible parenting. Some states have attempted required parenting classes but citizens are against it being required. Of course, if it voluntary, the only ones who would attend are the ones who don't really need the classes. So....
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This 6'2" child should be treated like an adult (I have read the story on abcnews). He already knows right from wrong.
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The idea of punishment is to deal out a measure of justice, not seek revenge on a person who has no clue of the gravity of his crime. This is a 12 year old, yes but odds are this person is someone who has had zero chance at a decent upbringing. He should definitely be dealt a severe punishment but also he should be given strict counseling and rehabilitation. He has not even had a chance to undo his error. He's a kid. Do you remember what you did at 12? If you had nothing but criminals in your life, how would you know to act otherwise? We need to learn not to dismiss and throw away children especially since we are to blame.
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yes for the fact is its still a kid hell hes not even a teen yet. and they do have camp for that age and all that and baby jail there are other ways to go with that but i dont think they should make him go threw it as a adult cause the law says they are not an adult until the age 18 so how are they getn away with that. they shouldnt but some states do that i gues dont think its right in any way the laws are writen and need to be fallowd not just by normal people but by the courts as well.
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I believe the kid knows right from wrong. I believe the kid knew what he was doing. He tried to rob someone and took her life. The fact that he's 12 years old or 6'2" shouldn't have any bearing on how he is sentenced. He committed an adult crime and should be sentenced to life, accordingly. The only difference is that he should be locked up in a juvenile detention center until he becomes an adult, then he should be transferred to prison to serve his life sentence. There are way too many young punks with guns, committing crimes today, there has to be a deterrent. A slap on the wrist just because they are a juvenile doesn't cut it !! Edit: typo correction.
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He ought to receive the death penalty like most adults would, I'm sorry but in this day and age a 12 year old has the mind of a 15 year old and are responsible for their own actions. What they really ought to do is if somebody commits a crime, their punishment ought to be what they did to their victims, see if they develop any empathy then, oh, forgot, he'd be killed wouldn't he..? Serves the bastard right.
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no , he knew what he was doing, he knew that was wrong to rob and he knew killing is a wicked thing to do, he needs to be treated like an adult..i knew at age 12 not to be a criminal ..he chose to be bad
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That depends entirely on the circumstances, the details, of which I am unaware.
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I have seen a trend in the news of killers being younger than ever. There was recently a group of 12-14 year olds that stabbed a young college woman and stole her phone and her wallet, and left her to bleed to death. Another case of a 14 year old who called for a pizza delivery and shot the delivery guy in the head, then took the pizza and the car for a ride, and posted it online. It's hard for me to reconcile those acts of violence with the tender ages of the killers. I have often wondered why the life of a murder victim is less valuable if the killer is young, than if the killer was over 18. The 18 year old would probably get life in prison, but if the killer is 14 or younger, they go to juvie until they are 18, then they are usually released and their record sealed. The victim is still just as dead and their families are still devastated over it. Where is the justice for the victims there? Check out this new story; https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/12-year-old-14-year-old-engage-in-shootout-with-florida-deputies-after-home-break-in/ar-AAKDk8a?ocid=msedgntp
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If he's killed someone, why should he be treated lightly?
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I need to know more of the circumstances. One can argue that people who are mentally retarded if they murder don't deserve capitol punishment. I am not presuming the boy was retarded. My point is there may be some factors involved. Until I know what they are I feel I'm unable to comment. I will say most 12 year olds don't realize how serious a major crime can be. BTW Does anyone recall the two 10 year olds who murdered that poor two year old in a mall in the UK?
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Victorine
Of course. That was the James Bulger murder. The two 10-year-olds were eventually released from prison, though I believe one was re-arrested on child porn charges. -
mugwort
That case is rather well known.
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12-year-olds are utterly incapable of thinking like adults. Their brains are not remotely fully developed. Of course they shouldn't be treated like adults by the justice system. The idea is ridiculous and could be promoted only by people who know nothing about the general scientific/medical issues, let alone the psychological issues that this particular kid may have.
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No do the crime do the time. Maybe his parents should be charged also. Have you ever lost a child? Not something one ever gets over.
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No he will not get the death penalty anyway.
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I am never for children being tried as adults. I don't even need to know the details. Children should be tried as children. They take bigger risks without considering the consequences, seriousness, or permanence of situations because their impulsive little brains are probably still a decade away from being fully developed. They are far more susceptible to things like magical thinking. And peer pressure. And so on. Because they are children.
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Yes, he should be treated like a child because he IS a child. His brain is not fully developed and he has a lot of time for rehabilitation - if they'd actually try to rehabilitate in prison or juvie. He should still suffer the consequences of his unlawful actions, and should be separated from the public sector to protect them. If necessary (depending on his actions) he might need to be segregated from the other prison population as well. Posting a link to an article with your question would be helpful as well.
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It depends on him, on what kind of person he is. That being said, if you wanna act like an adult, you're gonna get treated like one.
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