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You are born a sociopath. For sociopath kids there is no hope.
I do believe this to be accurate. There are people who are beyond reform, at least with today's puny resources. There are things that are just plain screwed up in some people's heads. Since we function as a society, the system in place does it's best to protect the public from unnecessary hazards like murders with a proven track record.
That's because what constitutes as a kid and as an adult is actually pretty tricky. From a legal stand point, 18+ is an adult (in some states 16 or 17, but lets just focus on 18).
See, you can join the army at 18. This is an adult thing. But at the same time, many adults would still consider someone as young as 21 a kid. They may be legally an adult, but their still too young and naive to really be an adult.
Then what is considered a kid is tricky as well. Obviously, you're a minor until you're an adult. But if a minor commits a crime, sometimes the rules change depending on the crime. I recently read an article about an 10 year old who was convicted of a sex crime for touching an 8 year old (his sister specifically) and was placed on the sex offender registry. That's insane. And we've all heard stories of kids who killed someone and were tried as adults. That's objectively less insane, but is it fair?
And frankly, I don't have an answer. I'm actually in favor of complicated the system. 12 and under is a child, 13-17 is a minor, 18-25 is a young adult, and 26+ is a legal adult.
Why? It factors in experience. A 20 year old may be an adult, and they may be ready to handle more responsibly, but let's not pretend they're fully capable. I'm 20, and I can tell you, I'm lost all the time. I'm fairly reasonable, but I make silly mistakes that I think someone only 5 years older than me would never make. And scientifically speaking, the brain isn't done developing until the age of 26 anyway.
But maturity can't be measured in just a number. Some people are more mature for their age, some are not. There are without a doubt 15 years olds who are more capable of making adult decisions than 24 year olds.
well, In criminal trials, the insanity defense is the claim that the defendant is not responsible for his or her actions during a mental health episode .
can always try that.
The injustice system is jacked up on both counts. The way the system works reminds me of the way the pirate code in 'Pirates of the Caribbean' worked. In 'Pirates', the Pirate Code' was thought to be hardfast rules governing the conduct of Pirates. But when push came to shove and the rigidity of the code was tested, the code was found to just be - "guidelines"
I too have been disgusted for a very long time about how prosecutors can just nilly willy decide to charge someone considered to be an adolescent or child by age as an adult.
The fact is, in America, "the majority" - and you know who I mean, runs the injustice system based on emotions. In the case of mental illness, where a person has a diagnosis of a psychotic disorder (which medicine and science knows full well to be a root cause of the act of violence - and based on the medical science, medical doctors know full well that insanity is real and should be exculpatory), the injustice system pretends not to comprehend the science (and in the case of the Supreme Court is too stupid and ideologically deranged to comprehend) so that it can essentially criminalize a very serious and deadly genetic disorder - so that it can prosecute and imprison or even put the accused to death.
So basically it comes down to people managing reality, changing variables, or vengefully ignoring the facts so that they can seek revenge against the accused. If the crime makes society angry enough, anything can be done to allow that vengeance to be satisfied - even charging a child as an adult, which is twisted.
I mean imagine making a mistake as a kid under 18 and spending your entire life in prison. What a waste!
because its all about right and wrong, if a 14 year knows it was wrong then he should be tried as an adult and sentence like an adult. they no do overs in reality
Because Kids( here under age 10) aren't even a juvenile or tried. Then juvenile has to be certified as a adult to stand trial as one; usually within about two years of adulthood in most states. Now I think there are some pretty juvenile adults but the standard is adult means responsible and its by age. By the way once certified to stand trial as a adult always adult thereafter here.
in other words you want a pantywaist judicial system where children under the age of 18 can commit the most heinous of crimes, murder, etc. and just spend a few years in juvenile hall? sorry but if someone has the fortitude to pull the trigger of a gun, or stab someone with a knife, and take their life with premeditation, they belong behind bars for the rest of their life.
commit adult crimes, and do adult time.
THen why aren't all kids tried as adults? There should be NO distinction in the criminal justice system.
I'm so sick of our corrupt justice system that has our prisons overfilled with inmates because of BS laws that make no logical sense. I don't understand how you can tri a child as an adult and put them in life for their whole lives just to try to "be tough". Either they are kids or adults. According to their logic, you should be able to try adults as kids also. According to their logic they should have had the right to smoke and drink legally. I mean imagine making a mistake as a kid under 18 and spending your entire life in prison. What a waste! They should totally eliminate the distinction between child and adult if this is the case and let any kid drink, smoke, and drive.
There is a logical constuct error in the above reasoning.
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So if kids can be tried as adults, why can't adults be tried as kids?
