How young is too young to charge a child with murder

[sonjab314]

These are my personal thoughts and feelings about this tradgedy. First of all the teen in charge should be the "suspect" not the 5 year old. I can tell you that I have twins that are 6 and they are not of a culpable mental state to commit murder, even if by accident.

As for the child...I believe there should be a mental evaluation. What child would think of drowning another child unless that child had been abused? I was in law enforecement for many years and I was specifically trained in child crimes (molestations, abuse etc.). There are so many kids that do not have a nurturing environment or anyone positive to look up to as a role model. I think the adults should be held accountable here.

 

[Laurajean]

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Any child who's overheard CNN on the TV.

 

[KristyHall]

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another thought. Toddlers are strong.

How can a five year old be strong enough to drown a toddler?

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
You are allowed to disagree with me

If this child is not treated, and on a 24 hours a day basis, the making of a sociopath is there. Some people are just wired wrong. Of course, if the babysitter hadn't fallen asleep we may not be reading about this child for several years to come.

 

[sadies chicks]

Quote:
Any child who's overheard CNN on the TV.

Certainly not every child.

How would you even "put a 5 year old away?" where would she go? Kiddie-jail?? How would that work? I haven't read all of the thread but that was the first thing that popped up in my mind. Crazy. If she had malicious intent then certainly something needs to be done, therapy, etc. But definitely agree on where was the supervision so this horrible tradgedy didn't have to happen.

 

[Laurajean]

Quote:
You are allowed to disagree with me

If this child is not treated, and on a 24 hours a day basis, the making of a sociopath is there. Some people are just wired wrong. Of course, if the babysitter hadn't fallen asleep we may not be reading about this child for several years to come.

I'm allowed to disagree? Thank goodness, I was really worried.

I agree that if anything, the teenager should have been paying attention. And yes, some kids are wired wrong, that's true. I still can't see putting a 5 year old away...

 

[Laurajean]

Quote:
Any child who's overheard CNN on the TV.

Certainly not every child.

How would you even "put a 5 year old away?" where would she go? Kiddie-jail?? How would that work? I haven't read all of the thread but that was the first thing that popped up in my mind. Crazy. If she had malicious intent then certainly something needs to be done, therapy, etc. But definitely agree on where was the supervision so this horrible tradgedy didn't have to happen.

Yes, I wasn't disagreeing with most of your post, if you read my other posts on this you'll see I don't think this child should be put away for this. My only point was that it doesn't necessarily mean this kid was abused, she could have heard about this stuff from TV, and being only FIVE, didn't know better.

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
You are allowed to disagree with me

If this child is not treated, and on a 24 hours a day basis, the making of a sociopath is there. Some people are just wired wrong. Of course, if the babysitter hadn't fallen asleep we may not be reading about this child for several years to come.

I'm allowed to disagree? Thank goodness, I was really worried.

I agree that if anything, the teenager should have been paying attention. And yes, some kids are wired wrong, that's true. I still can't see putting a 5 year old away...

Yeah I can tell how worried you were

. Treatment, in a facility, IMHO. Not jail, that I cannot see. The way some kids are these days scares the crap outta me. We recently had an 11 year old arrested here for breaking his teachers nose. Yikes.

 

[pinkwindsong]

I hadn't seen this one I did see that they are trying a 12 yrd old as an adult.. I do not agree with that.. kids don't understand and now there are tv shows that are too grafic their games are too grafic the movies are too grafic.. these kids see death on tv and there's no pain or sorrow. they shoot the bad guys on their games.. that leaves little room in real life to understand.. and it seams parents are all too busy to teach their kids ethics, we have become a country who are leaving our children behind socially.. when was the last time you were called Mrs. smith Mrs Jones.. now days it ms Kathy or miss June... even such a small social skill as that is gone.. little girls used to dream about being called Mrs. Thomas O'malley.. not now.. they don't teach ethics at school anymore.. everything has become so expensive it takes both parents working.. were a generation of latch key kids.. so why would this younger generation be different.. we didn't get that Leave ti to Beaver raising as children so the 40'syr old and younger have no knowledge to pass on to the younger generations..

Its a sad day, when they consider a 5 yr old an adult and punish instead of fixing whats broken in the child or getting him the education he needs... What will the next 20 yrs bring us? cant say im looking forward to it on this subject...

)O(
pink

 

[KristyHall]

Quote:
Any child who's overheard CNN on the TV.

Certainly not every child.

How would you even "put a 5 year old away?" where would she go? Kiddie-jail?? How would that work? I haven't read all of the thread but that was the first thing that popped up in my mind. Crazy. If she had malicious intent then certainly something needs to be done, therapy, etc. But definitely agree on where was the supervision so this horrible tradgedy didn't have to happen.

there are intensive treatments centers for five year olds.

When I was six i was sent to one of them. As an abused child I was prone to fits of anger, crying, and screaming, made worse by being picked on by the other children, and isolated/ostracized and pulled out to be a public example by teachers, who had little patience for me, and refused to help me when I was tormented mercilessly ( some teachers made a game of baiting and tormenting me themselves).

The child psychiatric mixed with tough love wing had every sort of kid form kids with genuine mental illnesses to children who were on drugs, to abused children, to simple spoiled brats.

I think it would have worked if they didn't take the same approach with all the children. You can not treat a spoiled child the same as a child who was abused.

so in short there are places to send children who commit crimes/ show sever social problems/ mental illness at that age.

Whether they work is debatable though.

personally I believe the child was either abused, or framed.