Without knowing the race of the perps or the victim, what should be done with the 8 & 9 year old rapists?

Question

Here's the story:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312146,00.html

For those of you who like to whine about fox news, the same story from CNN:

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/14635513/detail.html

To the first three responders...I would be absolutely shocked if this is the very first unlawful incident for all three of these boys. I don't know, but I'd bet the farm, there have been warning signs prior to this, and they've been ignored due to the age of the kids.

Contrary: the Jena 6 is the reason to bring it up.

Barry...speaking as a therapist who has treated hundreds of children already in the probation system, therapists barely have a clue on how to fix these problems. Ask your girlfriend for specifics on how she'd proceed...have the kids move little items in a sandtray, maybe?

Answer 1

Well without reading your links,

My opinion, is juvie home fopr both, for several years, with some serious counciling by trained professionals.

You cannot treat a 8 and 9 yr old as an adult, they just don't have the brain development yet to discriminate right from wrong.

Answer 2

At 8 an 9 I don't think locking them away is going to do much good.

At that young age there is a disconnect between action and consequence. There is also a disconnect between fact and fiction.

That being said these young boys need some serious psychological help. The do need to be committed to a juvenile care facility until the point where they are deemed to be functional members of society or age out and are moved to an adult facility.

Answer 3

I'm not buying this girl's story at all at this point. Boys at 8 usually have not even entered puberty, making rape physically quite difficult for them to accomplish and a 9 year old is usually not fully capable either.

But if there turns out to be any truth to this, I cannot see charging them as adults. Under most juvenile statutes they could be incarcerated until the age of 18, about 10 years. Most adult rapists would not serve longer than that.

The juvenile system would also give them more hope for rehabilitation.

Answer 4

I haven't read the articles but I can guess what they say from the questions and the answers above.

Probably all of the families of the kids involved, victim included, have issues, and this will be only the tip of the iceberg.

It is going to require careful study and counseling by CPS and specially qualified therapists to sort this out and help everyone have a productive life.

Answer 5

Well, first of all they are ALLEGED rapists at this point. If the charges stand, this presents an incredible challenge for the prosecutors. Establishing the requisite mental state of 8 and 9 year olds to sustain rape charges if tried as adults would be difficult at best. Keeping them in the juvenile justice system might serve them best as it is highly unlikely, IMHO, that this occurred in the absence of abuse to the alleged perpetrators to begin with. This will be an immensely interesting case to follow.

Answer 6

How about we wait until they are found guilty before calling them rapists? As of now, they are considered innocent under our system of justice and will continue to be so unless the prosecution proves their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Edit: I agree with JuryDoc that this will be an interesting case to follow considering the age of the accused and the requisite mental state for the offense.

Answer 7

I disagree that the abuser's sin is not 'as unhealthy' because the abortion general practitioner and the mum for searching for an abortion for her. A sin is a sin. Since all three adults had been worried within the sin, they will have to all were excommunicated. I am prolife however I do recognize the mum's drawback for her daughter wearing a being pregnant because of her being most effective nine. Her frame are not able to preserve a fullterm and healthful being pregnant and start. She is to small to have a being pregnant, although she began menses early. I feel that is the one factor a general practitioner could advise. It's both terminate the preg to save lots of her daughter or permit her cross via with the preg with a top threat of her death at the side of the twins. This need to were a tough resolution, specifically understanding it used to be her husband that raped her. I suppose for the mum and the daughter. I pray that God is aware the whole predicament (I recognise He does) and forgives the mum and general practitioner for this tough resolution. Honestly, if it used to be my nine 12 months historic daughter, I could mainly do the equal factor. I could do something to save lots of my baby. If she used to be sixteen, I could support her via it and both carry the baby as my possess or her her placed it up for adoption. It's very abnormal for me to sided with a resolution of an abortion on account that I've constantly viewed myself one hundred% prolife it doesn't matter what. But now I see there are exceptions. As for the resolution for no longer kicking out the step-father, that I absolutely disagree. I'm no longer certain what's all viewed whilst excommunicating a man or woman. But he molested her for years and that it a grave sin. Harming a baby is sinful. I have got to conmpletely disagree with the church's resolution in this. A sin is a sin. I'm a Catholic and love my religion. There are a couple of matters I query the church approximately however none of them being with scripture and religion teachings. In this predicament, I disagree with their resolution. If the church kicks out an abortion general practitioner, it will have to kick out all molesters, even the monks.

Answer 8

This is really difficult, because it's hard to say to punish them severely because they're children, yet the little girl is going to have to deal with this the rest of her life.

To be that young and that violent, there is a very good likelihood that they, too, have been abused previously. They need counseling. She needs counseling. There needs to be some time spent locked up- it's just hard to say how long.

The parents of the young rapists need to be looked into, as well. I get the feeling we've barely scratched the surface of this situation.

Answer 9

I agree with "Heather Mac". Innocent until proven guilty is how the law works. Race should have nothing to do with any of it! Why even bring that up?