Is there an age of accountabilty,one that suprecedes the intelect. I am about to do my masters thesis and want to do it on this very subject.

I realize that allot of people get on here and I have to and put in laughing matters. This is no joke. Children are being locked up at analarming rate.. Is it gangs is it society itself or what is making this country turn on it's kids?

There has to be an answer other than putting 14-18yr old kids in prison with harden criminals that are doing all day!

But they are just childrn them selves. We are putting them in with hardened criminals. Most appear to be from broken homes and have ano nuturing!

So we send them away for life?

"If you kill, rape,etc and the adult penalty is life in prison without the possiblity for parole then a 14 yr old gets that as there sentance."


sounds fair to me

I think your doing the right thing if they commit adult crime they should get the same punishment and besides that its a nice treat for the lifers already there. We should do the same in australia

You really think that if they decided to do that in Aussie it would go through? Here in the States some states that have it are trying to repeal the law!

what you say is true if they are tried as adults.most times,too many times,people who commit serious crimes as minors have their records closed and are given a do over when they hit 21.that is BS.why should being under 18 give someone an excuse for murder?Youre damn straight that if a 14 year old murders someone they should be locked up for life.what wil they be when they get 30 if they are willing to kill at 14? Id be willing to bet if a 14 year old killed someone you loved youd be wanting 14 year old blood too.

To make an extreme example..
what if he is four?
Should we also lock him up for life then?
It is quite obvious that a four year old has no idea what he is doing.
The years after four they also very much don't know what they are doing. But slowly they start to know more.

The law treats people is if becoming an adult is a boolean variable (something that is either on or off, never anything in between).
It is as if in an infinitely small amount of time at midnight of their 18th birthday they suddenly become complete adults.
The reality is very different.

It would be better if the law would take into consideration the gradual development of the individual rather than simplifying his maturity state down to an on/off switch.

So it should be taken into consideration if the violator is less than eighteen.
And the more less than eighteen he is,
the less he can be held accountable for his actions.
And the more guilt can be attributed to legal guardian and/or genes.

I'm more bothered with the actual treatment people get in prison in the states and many other countries.

Piss in your food, raped, beaten. There are so many stories of such crimes in prison.
I'm actually wondering if it is literally the norm.
None of the above is for the benefit of ANYONE.

It is tailor made to make sure more crime continues, both inside and outside of prisons.
The lack of enforcement of the law and protection of the individual rights within prisons works like a factory of misery.

If it could be stopped the world would be so much better.

The prison term is to be incarcerated, not beaten, humiliated and sexually abused.
If that were a part of the deal they should include it in the legal description of the sentences.

But that would force the judges and lawyers to come to terms with what they are actually putting people through.
Which wouldn't make them feel very good about themselves.

I personally dont agree with children going to prison. Its not the answer. The answer is trying to prevent the crime to begin with, instead of just throwing the children into adult prisons. Many of these children come from broken homes, may be on drugs, or homeless. The system is all wrong.

The system may be all wrong but innocent people in society shouldnt have to pay for we are all dealt the same life in the beginning its our own choices that make the difference to our lives. There are so many do gooders wanting to protect these kids and keep them out of jail and these young kids know they are untouchable here. I say fuck em get em out of society and on the end of Mr Bigs dick where they belong

The little bastards want to commit a crime like that screw them they should fry, plus you stay in juvenille until you are 18 then you go to the big house, havent you ever seen american me?

Let me just ask u, If a 14 year old boy raped and killed ur 6 year old daughter then disposed of the body, Wat would u want done with him ?

Crazymofo is back!

There is no doubt..I would want justice. But, I guess what I am asking is what justifies the sentence? And, as some have said can we pick a child that is brought up wrong and tell them ,"oh guess what you just did wrong?" And, who ever it is that said they stay in juvie until they turn 18 BOY r U WRONG. There are actually 14 yr old boys doing life sentences in MENS facilities! granted they may be in a protection area but they are still in the prison!

"But, I guess what I am asking is what justifies the sentence?"

In Crazy's example I think raping and killing justifies a sentance no matter what age the bastard is. Some kids fuck up, thats sad and unfortunate, but If they are truly unable to understand right and wrong maybe they should be in a mental facility instead of prison.

children go to prison for doing adult crimes but yet they dont get to vote, drink, smoke or get treated like adults they only get treated like adults when they do something wrong that sucks. i think that kids out there who do those kind of things should be harshly punished but not somewhere where they get beaten raped and shit by older people that is cruel.

Alright then but as the story starts....America has (actually over 2250)info from.... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9667158/

children doing life, Canada has 0, Mexico 0, according to information there are only 11 countries tha allow it and only 3 that actually have children doing life!

This thesis is actually driving me nuts! Because I don't want to see a child that is 14 that killed someone back on the street but at the same time wonder is there a possiblity for rehabilitaion. Is it possible that they could become productive, or is it doomed to fail.

How do other Countries deal with kids that kill..or rape.

Or is it that this Countriy has just lost it and others don't have this problem?

In Iceland they pretty much just walk.
I don't agree with it but that's the way it is.

More emphasis should be put on how the murder came about.
Murdering someone for fun is a lot more serious than murdering someone who has been maliciously and intentionally tormenting you for years.

Not that i can't remember a single case where a teenager murdered anyone.

But if somebody would he would get away with it prisonwise very lightly.
His reputation would be ruined for life though.

yeah okay there is too much writing and i dont really feel like reading all the comments, but basically all i have to say is
if a 14 year old like beat up ur mom and murdered her, would you be okay with the guy still being able to do fun everyday stuff? when you and your whole family are sad about your mom's death.

Okay and that's where this thesis of mine got it's origination okay..I have a friend that the 14 yr old boy that took care of his parent's yard rode his bike carrying a gun, broke into their house and killed his Mom and Dad. The kid is now doing life. Another kid, I think he was 15, strangled the driver of the car that was taking him for testing. Both these "kids" are now in their mid 20s and doing life...so say another maybe 50 yrs.

2 things here tax payers paying the bill and kids doing life. I guess it's stalemate.
Guess i could change my thesis but this is intriguing.

I appreciate everyones input... thanx

Oh please all this bullshit about children shouldn't be in jail, and right from wrong, they need a mental institution, Blah Blah Blah Blah is all i f*cking here. U know wat we need in this shit bag of a f*cking country, we need T.P.E. = Televised Public Execusions. and they should be filled in prime time slots, so families could sit and watch while they eat there chicken and rice dinner. We need to set examples for children. We need to beat our children with in inches of their lives so they NEVER talk out of place or dissrespectful to anyone ever again. Corporal Punishment ! We need to remove those liberal assh*les who sit back and tell other people how to discipline there kids, while their own kids r out getting arrested and bullying others. And it all stems from the parents from the 70's and 80's those left over bunch of hopped up on coke hippie mother f*ckers who never grew up into adults and yet raised kids. So now we litteraly have kids raising kids, popping out babies cuz its fun to have sex, and these kids r being brought up with no ethics or morals. And no one wants to stop it. So we have 14 year olds killing and being sentenced as adults. This world is f*cked to hell. Raise a few good seeds, and remember to beat ur kids.

P.S. hello mimir how was/is ur trip ?

Peace Out - The CrazyMoFo

Oh and i dont care how old I am wether I'm 26 or 56, if a 14 year old punk ass dirt bag raped and killed my 6 yr old daughter, I would not hesitate to blow his brains all over the court room.

1st thing you have to do is get a gun in there. Most court rooms hhave metal detectors infront of them..They have to these days because people aren't afraid to do exactally what you said!

I like stargirl's and crazy's answers also mir gives some good examples. I don't know if can add anything to what's been said. Except that we need to get into the urban areas and figure out how to keep families togather. I realize allot of the problems these days are drugs, or drug related. i don't necessarily mean the person is on drugs but where are the parents. I f the parents are on or sell, or are locked up from dealing what is the child left with? On top of that, and I am not trying to sound like a gun law advocate because I am not, there are so many guns in the urban areas. Kids get a hold of one and think they have a right to use it. Even if it is negatively.

maybe i shud get locked up and kill the guards and free the rest

after age seven you know what is right and wrong. knowingly killing someone is grounds for punishment. letting kids get away with murder is just telling all kids that it is ok. and think about if we didnt jail them what kind of criminals they would be after 18.

Age 7? I have to disagree!
I think maybe age 14 but 7. I can just imagine seeing a 7 year old with some 20 your old in the shower.
throw down the soap and tell him to pick it up!!!

Ok well if hes 14 id think No i dont wanna fuck you leave me alone would get the point! If the do the crime they do the time! We dont want criminals around us

children are put in youth jail... they will be with kids their age.... go to school... the age of reason is seven.

I think a 14 year old child should be sentanced to life, but i dont agree that he should HAVE to serve the whole sentance. At 14 i dont think you can realise the consequences of a crime like rape or murder. I believe you realise the direct consequences, the things that'll affect you, like the prison sentance, but not the indirect ones, like the guilt and remorse you'll feel later in life, the burden you'll have to carry around with you forever and the grief you caused the family of your victim. I know at 14 a child knows the difference between right and wrong but even so, i know i regret things that i did to people at 14 when i didnt think of the consequences. If a child murders at 14, gets sentanced to life but is completely remorseful and rehabilitated after a few years then he should be freed. You are not allowed to make life altering decisions like smoke, drink, breed or vote at 14 so how can you be held accountable if you choose to pick up a gun and take a life.

america, a civlised country, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA