Should a 14yr go to jail for life, without parole?

I voted on the third option to make them all 8 and 33.33% :smt109

 

I don't actually believe that anyone, regardless of age, should have to spend the rest of their lives in prison if they can seriously demontrate that they've been rehabilitated.

That being said, the prison system needs to be drastically reformed, if not eventually abolished.

 

So what do we do with the gang bangers, murders and kiddy molesters?

 

House arrest, maybe? Community service and some kind of self-improvement program.

 

A paedophile will probably not be rehabilitated. Often they see nothing wrong with what they are doing. Many serial killers don't stop killing until they are stopped, putting them on house arrest gives them that opportunity. Not everybody wants to change. Maybe some do, but often people go back to committing the same crimes as before.

Personally, being a mother, I would not want to live in a place where murders and sex offenders are walking about as if they have done nothing wrong. If someone, god forbid, harmed a family member of yours, would you be happy if they were on house arrest? Some community service? I'm against the death penalty but community service for a serial killer... gimme a break.

 

Pedophiles don't need to be "rehabilitated", child molesters do. I think that almost all criminals can be rehabilitated. Criminals are not a separate class of people, we're all capable of the most brutal, unethical behavior, given the right circumstances and the right environmental influences.

Alot of the time, there are medical issues that prevent some criminals from behaving normally (ie. low levels of oxytocin with psychopaths). I remember reading that criminals often have low levels of serotonin and high levels of testosterone.

They should not be let out unless they've seriously demonstrated rehabilitation.

My primary concern is the well being of my family member. If they were harmed/killed, of course I would be outraged, but punishing their victimizer(s) would not make me happy. The only thing that would make me happy is if my friend/family member was brought back to life and/or the damage was undone.


If I had children, I wouldn't want them to grow up in a society where our understanding of justice revolves around punishment and vengeance instead of compassion and respect. Human beings cannot be happy and hateful at the same time, forgiveness is a prerequisite for our emotional well-being.

 

what are you smokin:smt033
we are talking about kids in this thread and their emotional ability to understand the difference between right and wrong...as well as at what age they should be tried as an adult...the other issue that came up in this case was how it happened...planned vs. accident

i do not believe that all people can be rehabilitated nor do i believe that some should even be given a chance at life outside of prison walls...i draw the line at murderers & pedophiles...

 

14...
Life with no chance of parole...

No.