So, this story caught my eye, and I figured I'd throw it out to you guys/gals and see what you'd do if you were the judge in this case. The news is old now, but still interesting. So, here it is. I'm the city of Waukesha Wisconsin, two 12 year old girls took their friend out Into the woods and stabbed her 19 times in a murder attempt, all to curry favor with a fictional character called "slender man". (What's up with your kids America?) Anyhow, the evidence is overwhelming. The girls even admit to doing the crime. The children have been examined by various doctors and have been deemed "fit to stand trial" Those are the facts. Now, for the controversy. The defense lawyers want these kids to stand trial in "juvenile court" and the prosecutors want the kids to be tried as adults. This is a big deal. In juvenile court these kids would 1. Get out when they turn 18 And 2. Would have their public records sealed If tried as adults, the prison time is much harder and longer (about 30 years) and they will be felons for life. So, what would you do? Do you try 12 year old kids as adults and guarantee their lives are forever wrecked. After all, entering the prison system at age 13 and leaving at age 43 won't make them model citizens, and their actions were committed when they were kids. Kids do stupid crap all the time. Its well known that your brain isn't fully formed until your in your mid 20's. Or Do you treat these kids like the juveniles that they are, give them a maximum of 4 years in jail and release them to an unsuspecting public. Remember, their records are sealed so they won't be felons. Also, what kind of crazy kid stabs a friend 19 times? I know what I'd do, but, I want your opinions first, so, please, tell me what you'd do if you were the judge presiding over this case, then tell me why you ruled the way you did. And, as always, happy KaWing
They should be trialed fairly as kids however they need counseling and such as well as the right to attend their friends funeral. Nothing will sit in their minds longer than a funeral of a friend they murdered themselves.
You cant let murderers out on the street. 12 is old enough to know right from wrong especially stabbing 19x. Definitely as adults
They should be trailed as adults. *Space for reason why. Will give full reason why by the end of the day.*
Well...law is a law and must pe followed as such. They are going pay for their crime according to the law. If the law is saying that they can go to jail until 18 and then have their records sealed, so be it. You can't treat kidds as adults. If now these girls will be judged as adults why not an adult to be judged as a kidd?
Do this law have flaws? For sure it does. But for now this is the law that is in place... Maybe is time for a change.
I would say due their age rehabilitation is possible - try them as kids but don't seal up their records. Best of both worlds!
Is not my opinion....it is the law. Let's say that 17yr old is committing a crime. The prosecutor claim that the kid is mature enough so he should be judged as a +18yr old one. What next? When a 19yr old guy will commit a crime his lawyer can claim he's not mature enough to be judged as an adult and he should be judged as a child.
If they're dumb enough to kill someone so Slenderman would like them, they should be executed, or at least thrown in jail for life. And even if they weren't dumb, they were pure evil. You don't just kill some poor girl for no reason. They should be locked up in jail as adults, for life. You don't want that trash in the gene pool.
What confuses me is that the american judicial system gets to pick and choose when kids are adults. On the other hand when it comes to crimes associated with consenting age, this distinction is never even questioned. Can never buy a gun under 18 Can never buy booze under 21 Cant gamble under 18 Cant marry someone over 18 if youre under 18 Cant buy cigarettes under 18 Cant drive a car under 16 Etc etc... Like you would never hear a case in which a kid gets caught trying to buy booze at the age of 15, and the judge looks at the kid and says "lets try him as an adult."
The law is not saying "judge them as adults no matter their age if they are mature enough". The law is saying " judge them as adults if they are above 18". But I do agree there's flaws in this law and can and should be improved. Especially about having criminal record cleared. Ok... I understand to have the criminal record cleared for a kid who stole a candy from a store when he was 12. But not when its about murder.
In cases where the crime is particularly heinous, it's not unusual for a minor to be tried as an adult. It is within the law to do so and the prosecutor should certainly be pushing for it. Being a kid isn't an excuse for murder, and six years in a juvenile facility does not provide adequate time for rehabilitation or justice for the girl or her family members.
When a law let place for subjectivism that law should be changed. Now the prosecutor is claiming that those 12 years girl should be treated as adults. Fine so far... He's going home and he find his 12years old daughter having a smoke after just getting laid with a kidd from school. How would be? "Carry on! Your are 12 already! You are a mature girl by now. Smoke and get laid some more"
Adults cant b tried as kids however they can b found idk how to say this. Not all there in which case psycho ward but it still shows on record and theyll nvr walk the streets like a sane human again. And also i belive it depends on crime. I can understand kids out n sealed at 18 if the crime was just theft or assault or maybe even accidental manslaughter. But when u lure ur friend out w pure intention of killing her then stab her 19x thats not some1 i want on the street. Also other crimes like **** what if a u found a 17yr old on ur wife/gf/daughter. R u gonna sit here n argue w me oh its fine he was a kid im fine w him out in 5montgs like nothin happened
There really is a 3rd path. The 4 years of lock up and release is not actually what happens. That is just the picture the media presents. Additionally, fit to stand trial does not mean that they do not have delusions or other mental illness. It only means that they have have been deemed lucid enough to understand court proceedings. Whether they are tried as adults or children the course of action will be similar. They will be housed in a specialized facility where they will undergo treatment and serve some type of custody commitment. They will be evaluated by doctors and monitored by probation and social services until they are at least 21. And perhaps until 25, if they continue to exhibit violent or delusional behavior after years of treatment they will either have new law violations filed or they will be hospititalized in a secure facility. What actually happens will boil down to the specifics of the case, resources available to the courts, and how the individuals progress. The whole 30 year to life vs 4 year and release is just a false representation.
FIN when its about kidds depends so much on a circumstances. A kid normal don't start to kill someone out of the blue. Usually there's outside influences (movies, games, cartoons,etc). Let's say your kidd is watching some cartoons where they hear daily "your parents are devil! Kill them!" One day your 12 years old kidd decided to kill you. Would you want a death sentence for him? When a kidd kills someone before anything is a failure of their parents. And parents should be the first ones prosecuted. For example in my country for any felony committed by a child under 14 years old the parents are the prosecuted ones.
The court system is in place to deal justice to those who deserve it with fair trial. An exception to the system because parents are mad should not be allowed. This stuff happens, it's happened before. It will happen again. The system needs to be fair. However, I would like them to be tried as adults, but it won't happen. They're 12, they should be tried as juveniles.