Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm reminded of that semi-recent thread about whether there is anything your child could do that might sever your relationship or even your feelings of love. If my son were that young man I saw, choked with laughter that the girl was "deader than Caylee Anthony" while they were raping her, I don't know how I could stomach looking at him again.
How does this lead to rape and sexual assault? Because in my experience, fraternity/fraternal like behavior often leads to this. This is particularly common among jock cultures. Guys will get drunk together and will hang out with sexually promiscuous or flirtatious girls. They get their phone cameras and think it's funny to record themselves having sex or group sex. In college, it gets worse. And the lines become blurred between right and wrong: joking around vs sexual assault. A lot of good kids get lured into this trap.
So what is the solution? I really believe that parents need to pick a good school for their child. A good school isn't necessarily a private school or a wealthy school. In my opinion, a good school is one that stresses academics and carries very little in terms of athletics thus minimizing the jock culture. The schools that tend to excel in sports also tend to be the "popular" schools which has a fraternity/sorrority like culture. There are schools whose focus is academics. These types of schools don't offer a great party scene. Their environments are very academic and their students are used to working hard so that they are not preoccupied with trying to be popular etc. You want your child to be surrounded by people that are academically oriented.
I speak from experience as I was a jock and socialized with guys. I can tell you that my crowd today would be the type that would engage in these sexual shenanigans that could lead to sexual assault and rape. I recognized that and made certain my children attended good schools and I am meticulous about knowing who my children socialize with and who their friends are.
Who exactly is to blame for "jock culture"? It isn't the kids, it's the adults who turn a blind eye to grades and behavior in order to facilitate a winning season. Coaches who win retain their jobs, schools with winning records maintain their high levels of applicants. It's a win in the eyes of adults, and a complete loss for the kids who learn they are valued mostly by what they can do on the field.
All three of my kids played varsity sports. They also attended schools that stripped kids of their right to play if their grades didn't keep up. I think sports can be a wonderful motivator for students. It's the adults who make them out to be more than they should be.
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
26,700 posts, read 41,718,665 times
Reputation: 41376
Quote:
Originally Posted by germaine2626
Can anyone summarize why they weren't charged as adults?
Aren't most 16 & 17 year olds waived into adult court? (It certainly seems that way in my community for most serious crimes).
I would say most in my neck of the woods who are tried as adults usually have a police record beforehand. With a clean record, I do not think juveniles should be tried as adults.
I would say most in my neck of the woods who are tried as adults usually have a police record beforehand. With a clean record, I do not think juveniles should be tried as adults.
Now that I think about it, you are right, most teens tried as adults (in my area) have a record or are being charged with murder.
Trial as an adult is mandatory in certain very serious cases: (1) when the charge is aggravated murder or murder, and the child is 16 or 17, or the child is 14 or 15 and has been committed to an Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS) facility; and (2) when the charge is a certain serious felony offense, and the child is age 16 or 17 and either has previously been committed to a DYS facility or used a firearm while committing the offense. If the court finds that these conditions exist and that there is probable cause to believe that the child committed the offense, the child must stand trial as an adult. There are also other limited circumstances in which the child must stand trial as an adult.
Mattie. You post is excellent and I agree. It's the adults who set the tone, who let the kids know what they could get away with, etc.
And again we want to know where were the adults in the situation? Whose house hosted the parties? Who bought the alcohol? Where were the parents of ALL the kids involved? Why wasn't this girl taught how getting drunk could ruin her life? Why weren't the boys taught how to behave around women and their peers? And what was going on at the school to help keep this covered up like it was for awhile.
I'm of two minds on the trial as adult thing. On the one hand, this crime in particular was quite disturbing, and I think in general rape is not taken seriously enough and sentences are usually too light. However I also think that we need to be cautious about charging teens as adults. I think in this case there would not have even been a trial if not for the national attention (thanks, Anonymous!), and trial as adults was never on the table due to the connections and status these (kids) enjoyed.
Today after school I sat our girls down for another talk about what they will face in the years to come. They are both 11. I told them about the Steubenville case and showed them the picture of the girl being handled like a toy by the two boys. We talked about being unconscious, drinking as teens, rape, lack of development of a teen's brain and peer pressure. I don't think they are too young to be schooled on what can happen to them.
They asked some very astute questions which showed me they were ready for this discussion. "When you drink, do you just take one sip and then you are crazy?" "How can you know before hand if you are an alcoholic?" Will all my friends be drinking and make fun of me if I say NO?" "What should I do if I get to a party and see other kids are drunk?"
I also told them the story I read in the paper today about the star student who slipped out of his bedroom window to go drinking with his buddies, got so drunk he climbed over a neighbors fence thinking it was his own, slipped into an unlocked window and then was shot dead by the homeowner who thought it was an intruder.
All 3 daughters are Asian so I explained to them about alcohol intolerance in Asians and Native Americans. We talked about The Asian Flush and alcoholism running in families (my own brother died of alcoholism as did 2 uncles). Just like with sex education, this was only 1 of many talks I will have with them all along the way. DH and I will enjoy a beer once in awhile in the summer but we don't regularly drink so I hope we are setting a good example for our children.
I don't know how parents who drink every day or let their kids see them drunk can realistically expect their teens to abstain.
Can anyone summarize why they weren't charged as adults?
Aren't most 16 & 17 year olds waived into adult court? (It certainly seems that way in my community for most serious crimes).
Ohio only mandates that juvies get tried as adults in certain instances like murder and a few others.
Other than that it is the judges choice.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
