Toddler Death

[scratrat]

12 is too young to be given life or a death sentence.

That kid needs counseling...BIG time!!! I'd want to know how long he was alone with 10 and 17 month olds. Those ages can try anyone's nerves if left alone with them for too long.

BS.

When I was 12, I knew right from wrong. This kid will never be rehabilitated. He will continue to be a burden to society. Get rid of him now. I'm all for it.

[firedoc5]

Not necessarily this case, but all these juveniles that do adult type crimes should be tried as an adult. They think they are so big, bad, and tough. And I know there are those who know they'll get away with crimes because of there age. Those are the one's that needs to be surprised and get knocked down a peg or two. At 12 they should know between right and wrong, especially violent crimes. I know it's a cliche', but as in this case, someone needs to make an example of him.

[Britt207]

I can kind of see both sides here. He's 12 years old, and was baby sitting a 10 year old and a 17 month old, but what's to say that the only reason, he acted out like that was because the toddler was crying and he could hear the Tv? Maybe there were other reasons for his acting out the way he acted out? Maybe he was seeking attention (which is a horrible way to get it). But none of us can say for sure what was going on in his mind at the time.

He should be punished, a few years ago we had a similar situation here, where a 13 year old shot and killed his 4 year old brother, and he was tried as an adult, but until he reaches the age of 18 he's in a juvenile correctional facility, and when he turns the age of 18, he'll be tranferred to prison. If I'm not mistaken. I think that maybe he should have a similar punishment.

He'll have to live with the fact that he KILLED an innocent Child, which will haunt him forever...Lets just hope he don't get away with it, and then a few years down the road he will do it again.

Then again these are just my thoughts on the situation. [/font:dbd7f8dffe]

[firedoc5]

He'll have to live with the fact that he KILLED an innocent Child, which will haunt him forever...Lets just hope he don't get away with it, and then a few years down the road he will do it again.

Then again these are just my thoughts on the situation. [/font:690c7d51e6]

Unfortunately there are those that when reminded that they killed an innocent child they are like, "Yea, so what?" I don't know what causes anybody to not have a conscious or have a lack of empathy.

[Scaramedic]

OK Dwayne let's try some visual aids...

This is a 12 yr old male.

This is a baseball bat.

This is a 17 month old.

And this is an article from my Lifespan Psychology class I just passed with an A.

Why Teens Get Away with Murder

[unknown]

OK Lets do the math here. 12yr old + 10yr old + 17 month old = trouble.

Has there been times when we as young folks where forced to grow up early and care for our younger siblings? Sure- but it seems that is lost with the times more and more......

I have an EXTREMELY responsible 11 year old. When I look at her I am often saddened at how mature and old she seems when she is just a little girl still. I want her to enjoy being young! No matter how mature she is I would NEVER leave her with her 5 year old brother to care for. They fight like cats and dogs when I am around, so I know what to expect if I wasn't and YOU CANT TELL ME THAT THE PARENT'S OF THIS CHILD COULDN'T TELL THE SAME. This boy didn't just out of the blue do this. No, I don't belive it for a moment. This boy never should have been left alone with those children and I am willing to bet that he displayed prior hostile behavior.

The simple fact that he was aggravated because "his ball game was interrupted" is a key clue that also tells me something environmental is going on around him as well. Just what type of male influence IF ANY did this young man get subjected to?

HHHmmm makes one wonder!

I agree to the fact this child needs counseling and needs to be locked away- for a very very long time. He needs a good formal education to go along with his sentence to teach him right from wrong. I wouldn't say that he needs the death sentence but he certainly doesn't need to be turned loose into the system which can be just as corrupt as the out side world!

[Babs]

There is no doubt that childhood is confusing under normal circumstances but when it comes to the justice system and state legislature it is frustrating that the contradictions don't cause more of a stir.

Charging a 12 yr old as an adult for Murder 1 is absolutely wrong. Think of the most tragic and horrible crime that you can and then ask yourself how young of a child are you willing to charge as an adult. Maybe that 5 or 6 yr old who is already showing symptoms of serial killer behavior should be tried as adult also? Where do we draw the line?

For many years, the line was 18 yrs old. Then we decided that 17 was pretty close to 18 so if the crime was bad enough they could also be tried as an adult. Then it was pretty common to see 16 yr olds who committed felonies being tried as adults. Now there are intelligent, college educated people suggesting that we have all we need to make adult decisions of right and wrong at the age of 12. Again, where do we draw the line?

I find it interesting that only when we are speaking of criminal activity are we willing to lower the bar. You can't vote, join the military, sign a legal document, or enter into any type of binding agreement until you are 18. We used to think you were mature enough at 16 to drive a car all by yourself but many states are restricting driver's licenses now until the driver is 18. Some states believed you were mature enough to drink alcohol at 18 but now as a nation we have decided that you needed a few more years under your belt before you could drink responsibly.

Are we really at a point where we think that anyone is beyond redemption at 12? At that age, it's safe to say that you knew it was wrong to hit a toddler with a baseball bat but can you really say that he had an expectation that the child would die? Isn't that what Murder 1 is all about? Premeditation? Shouldn't we start at anger management issues and go from there.

By the way, in a second story on the Miami Herald website they say that the boy has no previous record and they were unable to report any previous acts of violence. The toddler he was babysitting was his cousin. So there were at least 2 adults involved in deciding that this boy had the maturity to babysit these kids.

We need to look at each case as it comes and decide what to do with a child who commits a violent crime and see what can be done to keep him from becoming a violent adult.

[unknown]

On the positve note-- there IS hope for this child- if he gets the correct help......

We would like to introduce David Maxfield, coauthor of the New York Times bestseller, Influencer: The Power to Change Anything. David is also author of The Influencer Blog, a blog that weighs in on the ideas and principles discussed in the book. We will periodically feature one of David's blog posts in the Crucial Skills Newsletter and encourage you to visit The Influencer Blog to comment and contribute to the ongoing conversations.

An inmate at Mule Creek State Prison once gave me his perspective on the criminal justice system: "You take a dog, lock it in a tiny cage, then kick it every morning. After five years of this you reach down to let the dog out, and you're surprised when it bites your hand."

This reminds me of some parenting I've seen—moms and dads who yell at their naughty teen and publicly ridicule her, and then are surprised when she continues to act out.

John Braithwaite 2006 winner of the Stockholm Prize in Criminology, studies the kinds of shame that work, and the kinds that don't. I'd like to share a few of his ideas. Braithwaite distinguishes between two kinds of shame:

Stigmatic shaming: Punishments that destroy the bonds between the offender and the community. This is what judges are doing when they make an offender post a sign saying, "a violent felon lives here," or a bumper sticker saying "I am a drunk driver."

Re-integrative shaming: These are punishments that give the offender the opportunity to rejoin the community as a law-abiding citizen. The offender is required to express remorse, apologize to the victim, and repair the harm done by the crime.

The concern Braithwaite has with stigmatic shaming is that it sets the offender apart as an outcast for life. Creating an outcast group only works if you have a prison colony where you can send them indefinitely.

On the other hand, re-integrative shaming is designed to let the offender earn back the community's trust, and then live again within the community. Eventually every offender does end up back in the community, so perhaps we should focus more on this re-integrative approach.

Braithwaite has tested his ideas with hundreds of drunk drivers, shoplifters, and car thieves—mostly young offenders—and the results are very promising.

Look for ways to let your rebellious teen express remorse and repair the damage they've done.

Ask them to describe what they've done from the victim's perspective.

Have them describe how they think the victim must have felt.

Then ask them to work with the victim and you, the judge, to determine the best way to repair the damage.

As you go through this process work hard to avoid labeling your child as "bad." It was bad behavior with bad results, but keep faith with your child's potential.

After your teen has repaired the damage, make it clear that he/she has earned his/her way back into your trust.

I'm a strong believer in holding people accountable, and I believe we need to be willing to impose consequences when necessary. I especially worry about children who've never been held accountable for their actions. These aren't fun kids to be around. But forms of discipline that stigmatize and separate lose sight of the purpose. The goal is to bring about good behavior and to bring the person back into the fold. Whaddaya think?

DAVID MAXFIELD

[LisaO925]

I have an 11 yr old son. I would NEVER ask him to be soley responsible for a toddler for any length of time. I believe that is too much to ask of a young child. I also know my son, if for some reason he was around a toddler, he would no act violently if the child started to cry. He would panic and get frustrated, and I don't believe he has the emotional or mental ability to make adult decisions or to take adult actions to sooth a screaming toddler.

I would love to read more about the family. How all three were raised, esp. around eachother. I do believe the parents should be looked into further. A child does not act out so violently out of the clear blue sky. Im sure there were signs.

As for the boy, I honestly don't know what should be done. He obviously needs help, and to be taken out of society. I don't think anything should be decided until this can be looked in to from all medical and psychological angles to see what lead up to it, the consequences on his own psyche, and they think he will be as an adult. Hes a sick boy, thats only obvious. But it didn't happen overnight.

[ccmedoc]

...and I don't believe he has the emotional or mental ability to make adult decisions or to take adult actions to sooth a screaming toddler.

From what I've been privi to...a ton of adults don't have this ability........