NEWS: Children Don't Belong in Prison

CULTURE: Children Don't Belong in Prison

It's a sad commentary on American society that approximately 200,000 children under the age of 18 are sent directly or transferred to the adult "justice" system every year. Just par for the course in a country that boasts the highest incarceration rate in the world, I suppose, but shameful nonetheless.

Does trying, sentencing, and punishing children and adolescents as adults produce any kind of positive, productive results? Somehow, temporarily "disposing of" young criminals and "raising" them in lock-up (often with release around age 21) doesn't sound like an ideal solution. Suddenly, some states across the US are starting to re-think their approach to dealing with these children who have, more often than not, already been neglected, abandoned, or abused by their own parents, families, and society at large.

Since the early 1990s, kids as young as 10, 11, and 12 have been tried and punished as adults. The general legislative attitude has been "If you do an adult crime, you should be treated like an adult criminal." Those are the words of Jay Hoffman, a Democratic state legislator who had a hand in toughening Illinois juvenile justice laws in 1994, soon after two Chicago boys, aged 10 and 11, dropped 5-year-old Eric Morse to his death from the 14th-story of a vacant public housing apartment. The youngest in United States history to be jailed for murder, they were sentenced to lock-up in a maximum-security juvenile prison, with their release required by the time they turned 21.

Then there was Nathaniel Abraham who, as a sixth grader, shot and killed 18-year-old Ronnie Lee Greene, Jr. Abraham was tried as an adult but sentenced as a child. He ended up being sentenced to eight years of juvenile detention with a mandated release at age 21.

Then we have Lionel Tate, who, at age 12, killed 6-year-old Tiffany Eunick by "imitating professional wrestling moves" he had seen on TV. He was tried as an adult, convicted of first-degree murder, released after three years in prison and given year of house arrest and 10 years of probation. He violated his house arrest when he was discovered outside of his home and in posession of a knife. Soon after that, he was arrested for robbing a Domino's Pizza delivery guy at gunpoint, for which he received a 30-year sentence.

Last, there's the case of Reginald Dwayne Betts, who was locked up at age 16 for an armed carjacking. He was sentenced as an adult and spent more than eight years behind bars, most served in adult prisons.

These days, some states are beginning to reconsider life without parole for teens, as well as focusing on raising the age of juvenile court jurisdiction. Better yet, some are even "exploring ways to offer kids a second chance, once they're locked up—or even before."

It seems a promising and long overdue step toward rationally dealing with people and situations that are not one dimensional, but often hugely complex. Children who commit criminal acts are symbols of society gone awry: oftentimes victims of poverty and neglect, they represent larger issues in their neighborhoods, cities, and cultures. Mindlessly treating them with the concept of "adult crime, adult time" and throwing them into a prison system that greatly lacks rehabilitative programs is a grave disservice to the country as a whole.

Here's hoping we can figure out how to make this a place that views children as the heirs of society, and not some sub-human resource. Not throwing them in jail seems like an odd first step to have to accept.

I wonder what the statistics are on minority vs white children and adult sentences?

You ever stop to think it has nothing to do with the prison, and there's just something WRONG with these people?

> two Chicago boys, aged 10 and 11, dropped 5-year-old Eric Morse to his death

Yup, lock them up and never let them out.

> shot and killed 18-year-old Ronnie Lee Greene, Jr

Ditto.

> killed 6-year-old Tiffany Eunick by "imitating professional wrestling moves"

OK, that sounds like an honest mistake. Just goes to show professional wrestling shouldn't be on before 10pm. Or how about never. Never is good enough for me.

> locked up at age 16 for an armed carjacking

This guy needs to be more than locked up. I'll personally throw the "fry him" switch. And I'm not kidding, trying to make a point, or using hyperbole. I mean he needs to die.

That would be dangerously sensible behaviour. I wish you luck.

Yeah, they should just give them the death penalty and save society the trouble of fearing them.

Sorry, some children do belong in prison.

Also, we should shoot them.

A shocking opinion.

You could always try reading the article.

Even thought you say that you're not kidding, I really hope that you are. Seriously, you think a guy should be EXECUTED for carjacking? Based on the information provided in the article, he didn't kill anyone, so it would seem to me that killing him is kind of an over-reaction.

I think gcash06 should be executed for thoughtcrime, personally. I mean, he seriously wants him to die.

We're also locking up kids who didn't do anything wrong.

Link

But it's a marker, a representation of an actual scientific fact that children and adolescent brains do work differently from the brain of a full-fledged adult. My opinion of a 17-year-old being tried as an adult is very dependent on the situation. But I will never, never support trying a 13-year-old as one, and neither should anyone else.

Try reading on for size:

i suppose its all about the knowledge and intent of the wrongdoing
those old enough and having the mental faculties to reason right and wrong should surely pay for the act committed

accidents through stupidity ....well there are those who do like wrestling....befuddling isnt it?
of course the parents of these miscreants should also suffer some punishment for criminal negligence as a parent if nothing else

You'd think that'd be obvious.

Sounds un-american to me.

Kids are still forming their brains for Pete's sake. To say that they can learn is an understatement.

People are trashing teenagers no matter how well behaved they are. It's a fact. So if a teen gets involved in a crime adults want to throw the book at them. People are just scared of the amount of energy and stupidity that teenagers have, and teens are just as amazed and scared themselves. They didn't plan on being a teen.

However you feel about it there is a great Frontline documentary available for free viewing. In my mind Frontline, which usually airs on PBS, makes first class journalism.

When Kids Get Life

From the article

and while this doesn't speak for every case it agrees with my personal experience. If they decide to try you as an adult that means adult time.

The growth of the prison-industrial complex and the "tough on crime" groupthink mentality are grave disservices to our country as a whole.

Well some do need help, prison? I don't think so.

Well, it's a good thing you're not a Judge then.

And seriously...I'm not a parent myself but I can't imagine what it would be like to be the parents of these kids. Sure, the kids who dropped the five year old off the building sound nuts but for a kid who clearly doesn't have the resources or knowledge to get candy for himself violence seems like a good option. And I'm not going to say the parents are to blame because they came from the projects...who knows where the parents were at the time of the murder? States aren't discussing letting everyone out of prison because they are kids, they are discussing better programs for juvenile offenders, even the violent ones.

I would think that someone who selects "Bleeding Heart Liberal" in their profile would understand that.